


Musical Notes

by ReaperOfAngels



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, Aged-Up Character(s), Akuma, Akumatized Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Character Death, Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/M, Family, Identity Reveal, Post Reveal, Song-Based, drunk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2019-08-06 20:43:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16394762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaperOfAngels/pseuds/ReaperOfAngels
Summary: Song-inspired works. Active work.Follow me on tumblr (@reaper-of-the-angels) and please encourage me to post on there.None of the works are connected, they're all just drabbles that I've been writing as like... warm-ups and junk.





	1. Ladybug - Back to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next is inspired by Selena Gomez's "Back to You." I'm probably going to try and compile all of my stories based off songs here.  
> This arc is when Marinette gets akumatized, but it's a very docile Akuma. This is the gist of it - she starts a relationship with one of the people she treasures most (non-familial relations) but then forgets about it after a set amount of time in order to cause them emotional trauma and pain. It just turns out that person is the same one, over and over again. It's explained more thoroughly in Chat's side of the story, but this is Ladybug's.

Ladybug shivered from the cold night air. Sitting there on the _Arc de Triomphe_ now that it was late November was probably not a brilliant idea, but the cold was a downside she was willing to suffer through if it meant she got away from... everything. For just a little while.

She  _had_ been at a party with her classmates. They were graduating this year and their brief Winter Break for the holidays would be coming soon, so they were celebrating while they could. But even with everyone singing, laughing, drinking, and dancing, she just couldn't get her mind off this one person for the life of her. It wasn't who she thought would be on her mind today, and that somehow made it worse.

Ladybug brought her knees up to her chest, placing her cheek on her knee. Her Santa cap, that was way too early a decoration for her considering it was only November 29th, flopped a little as she laid her head down.

It was ironic, really, who was actually on her mind today. She had been denying him for two years and now she couldn't think of anything other than him, like some lovesick fool? Ha. 

She felt awful, too, as his memory brought reminders of how she had treated him the night before, and it made her sick to her stomach.

 _"CHAT!" She yelled, glaring at her partner. "We don't have_ time _for your antics right now. The flower was very nice but can't you just focus for five seconds?" She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You have the attention span of an actual cat, I swear! I can't deal with your stupid flirting right now!" She threw down the peony he had given her, then zipped off. Her eyes and temples hurt. Why couldn't he just focus?_

When she started hearing him say her name though, she understood that she must be drunker than she thought was, because there was no way he was out and about Paris right now, and there was no way he just happened to see her on the  _Arc de Triomphe_ , right? She certainly hoped not.

"Princess?" Called his voice again, and a pleasant shudder went down her spine that had nothing with the cold. She loved it when he called her that, even though she hated that nickname almost as much as she hated Bugaboo. There was just something about hearing it come from his voice that made it more pleasant than not so.

"Marinette? Hey, you okay? How did you even get up here?" His voice came again. Ooh, hearing him say her name sent another chill down her body. Some alarm went off in her head about him knowing her name, but then it calmed down when she looked at her arm and saw that she was, in fact, Marinette right now and not Ladybug. She looked up through bleary eyes and saw that, yes, he was really here, and that she wasn't just imagining his voice. He looked worried, she noted, but she herself didn't worry about that. She knew how she got up here; she used her magic yo-yo given to her by a little goddess to swing from a nearby lamp post up to the top and perched herself right there in the cold. Not that she would tell him that. It sounded insane, even to her own mind, even though she knew he would understand what she meant. 

He came closer and looked into her eyes for a moment before sniffing, and leaning back, his eyes crinkling in amusement even though his nose had wrinkled in mild disgust. " _Princess_ , are you drunk?" He chuckled.

Marinette rolled her eyes playfully and waved him off a little. "I only had a couple of glasses of wine... and a shot of the fireball whiskey that Alya brought back with her from her vay-cay in America."

Chat snorted. "And the wine?" He asked. Marinette had to think for a moment before smiling. "Ah, it was this really nice Banyuls and Maury that Chloe brought. It wasn't really expensive, sure, but it was rich." She grinned, and Chat blinked. "Mari!" He laughed and gently put a hand on her shoulder. "That wine has an ABV over 20%! How many glasses did you have?" He chuckled.

Marinette leaned into him and sighed contently, happy to be so close to him. "Mmmm. Like 3 or 4? Normal pour, because those heavies don't know how to pour high alcohol wine." She grumbled and looked up at the clear night sky. "That's like... almost half a bottle, I think." She shrugged a little. Chat let out another breathless laugh and gently picked her up. "Come on Mari, I think you're done for the night. Let's take you home."

Her only response was nuzzling into his body. She felt his chest stutter a little before a small purr started up in his chest, which only made her relax further.

 _This is wrong_ _,_ she thought sometime during her trip home in his arms.  _I shouldn't be leading him on like this, but... he's being so sweet. Maybe I can enjoy this for just a little longer..._

* * *

Marinette didn't recall anything from the trip back to her balcony for the exception of her awareness of his warmth and his hands on her back and the backs of her thighs, but she did recognize when he had set her down on her feet. He said something that she could barely register before he tried to leave. Her hands moved on their own, grabbing the lapels of his suit. The sound of water left and she could hear him more clearly now. He swallowed thickly, followed by a tentative "Princess?"

She didn't know what to do. She had grabbed him on a whim, not knowing exactly what she wanted from him. She decided to let her eyes wander where they wanted and they immediately landed on his lips when she did that, and she felt her mouth go dry.  _No, this is wrong. I shouldn't. I... shouldn't..._  

But kissing him sounded like such a nice idea. His soft, full lips on hers actually sounded like heaven right about now.

Some part of her still had a little sense though and she stopped herself before she could do something stupid. "... Nevermind, Ch- Ch-" She closed her eyes and gathered her bearings, grabbing the rail to steady herself. "Nevermind,  _Chaton_." She said finally, opening her eyes to look into his green ones, and heard him inhale sharply. She stood and walked quietly and carefully over to her skylight and dropped down into it. She wanted to spend more time with him, but she knew if she did that she wouldn't be able to stop herself a second time. She dropped onto her bed with a yawn. "Goodnight, Kitty." She said tiredly before promptly passing out.

Chat leaned over and chuckled at the sight. His Princess looked so beautiful tonight - her [black halter top and red shorts](http://picture-cdn.wheretoget.it/vz4riq-l-610x610--crop+tops-halter-leather-lace-shirt-cute-fashion-style-sexy.jpg) made her stand out in a crowd, and her hair done up in [the braided crown](https://www.styleinterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/45130917-braids-for-short-hair-.jpg) gave her a near-regal but casual look that he knew only Marinette could pull off. He never thought he would see her drunk, and she behaved a little odder than normal, but she managed to keep herself closed off. Like she always did.

He studied her sleeping form. The flowers that had been in the braid of her hair earlier today were gone, but it didn't take away from how truly beautiful she was. He gripped the bracelet he had slipped from her body tightly, something he noticed she had been wearing practically every day, and bit his lip. He figured... he should visit her tomorrow to make sure she was okay. 

* * *

Waking up the next morning was not a pleasant activity, but she was greeted with a cheerful voice that she vaguely recognized but couldn't place. It was male and... God, it's too bright for this, she couldn't even see what color his hair was.

She felt and heard herself mumble something and though she wasn't sure what, it made the male laugh and for some reason that sent her heart into a flutter. She vaguely registered him getting up to her bed and sitting down, and making her sit up, and place something in her lap. When she looked down, she slowly began to recognize the familiar lemon buns her parents made, along with... ooh, was that fig and rhubarb preservatives?

"Oh my God, I love you." She said as she cut the lemon bun open and spread some of the preservatives onto the bun, and she heard him laugh. The noise hurt a little since it was so loud, but it was such a lovely noise that she couldn't bring herself to care. Now that she was more awake, his voice sounded an awful lot like her partner's. Her heart fluttered again and she sighed, trying to calm her heart.  _No, I'm not drunk anymore. I can't still want him here..._

"Come on, Mari. You gotta eat to stave off that hangover a little." The male chuckled, nudging her gently, and she let out a little whine, leaning against his shoulder and just naturally nuzzling into him. He was her partner and typically enjoyed cuddles, he would be okay with that, right?

"But Kittyyyy." She huffed a little and whimpered, and felt him stiffen under her touch. "Eating doesn't feel good when I'm like this." She murmured and yawned, but began to eat anyways. She wouldn't pass up a lemon bun with jam even if she was hanging off a cliff.

The person under her relaxed again and chuckled. "Well, Mari, as long as you eat. I also have some migraine pills and water." He said and put his arm around her.

Marinette moaned against the lemon bun in her mouth and chewed and swallowed before she spoke again. "Oh my God, can I like - marry you or something?" She said and curled herself up into his side. Another laugh came from him, but it sounded more startled and "caught off guard" than the first.

"Well, I imagine you'd have to take that up with my father first, and I'd have to talk to your parents."

"Ugh, screw your dad." She mumbled. "I don't remember who he is right now or if you ever told me who he is, all I remember right now is that he's an ass, especially to you. And my parents already like you if they let you come up here and take care of me, you're basically a shoo-in." She said and stuffed her face with another bite of her breakfast. The male next to her continued to laugh. She smiled, glad that she could provide some entertainment for her surprise guest so early in the morning.

She groaned when she no longer had the bun as an excuse to curl up against him. But he didn't seem to mind when she lingered there, so she did. She reached up and began to try and rub the sleep out of her eyes, yawning tiredly and feeling one of her ears pop, which hurt more than it usually did. "Where's the migraine pills you were talking about?" She asked, wiping some water from her eyes. The male produced a cup of water, which she took, then gave her small white tablets. She popped them into her mouth, then began to down the water to help her swallow them. She relaxed once more.

The male next to her shifted to lean against the wall, and she moved with him. "Are... you okay with me leaning on you like this?" She asked, yawning again. 

"Of course I am. You don't feel good, I'm happy to be your pillow as long as you like."

Marinette let out a little groan of appreciation, sighing as she sank into him. He had some muscle on him; something she had never felt before. He was well built, and it took her a second to realize that she was nuzzling against cloth and not some vaguely leather-like material.

"Uh... wait." She sat up, rubbing her head. She felt the male shift behind her. "I thought you were Chat, but now that I'm a little more awake, I'm... not as sure." She murmured, moving her hands to scrub over her face. "You certainly sound like him... and even kind of act like him. But you aren't. Who are you?"

The voice chuckled. "The guy you just proposed to?" He asked with an audible grin.

Marinette let out a groan and then followed it up with a giggle of her own. "Knowing my luck? You're probably Adrien and I just embarrassed the hell out of myself." She mumbled, tugging her hair out of the ruined braid on her head and let it fall, then ran her fingers through it. She heard the person's breath catch. Or was that just her imagination?

"That's not true, Marinette. You didn't embarrass yourself. I chose to come up here, knowing you were hungover and perhaps even delirious. I was ready to tell you everything, and prepared for anything... except the proposal, but it would be a lie to say I dislike the idea. And I don't lie." 

Marinette blinked her eyes open and finally took her room in. It was just as she had left it yesterday before she went out to the party; a bit of a mess, remnants of her designing streak and of her getting dressed all over the room. She glanced down to see a pair of feet with wildly colorful socks on. She trailed her eyes up blue jeans that looked like they were fitted for the boy on her bed,  _made_ to fit him. She then moved her eyes up a red and black shirt, Ladybug merch, she recognized, with a black hoodie thrown over it. Green eyes filled her vision, ones filled with affection and a sort of longing. She blinked and registered his whole face. [Soft blonde hair that was tied back into a short ponytail, some locks of hair coming loose, and a grin on his face.](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/62/e6/eb/62e6eb5e08e104cc5bc71623aabf1c7e.jpg) Yeah, definitely Adrien.

"Fuck." She breathed, her face going bright red. "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" She asked, reaching back and beginning to loosely braid her long hair, tying it off at the end before looking up to face him again. He smiled at her warmly and she felt her heart jump a little.

"Were you, uh... being serious? The idea doesn't sound like, absolutely horrible?" She asked cautiously as she attempted to cower back.

Adrien smiled. "Of course I was being serious, Mari. But, I think I would like to date you for a little while before I agree to a legal contract." He grinned, and Marinette's face grew hot.

"That- that's actually perfect." Marinette smiled, shifting close to him and leaning against his side again.

They sat in a surprisingly comfortable silence as they just cuddled for a good twenty minutes before Adrien piped up.

"Oh, and Marinette?"

"Yeah?

"I really didn't mind it when you called me Kitty." 

* * *

This was bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit.

It had been months since she and Adrien had agreed to go out, and Marinette had slowly guided him through what an actual loving relationship was supposed to be like. 

She honestly couldn't have been happier. Being woken up to his blinding smile and eyes of deep green was the best thing in the world.

... and yet.

Marinette found herself in the Agreste Manor on this particular evening, Adrien having already drifted to sleep with herself wide awake. She was curled up against his side in the most comfortable position she could have asked for, but the thing, or  _person_ , her thoughts were on, disturbed her. 

Memories of his laughter rang out in her head, soft but kind smiles mixed in with cheeky smirks and shit-eating grins all flashed through her mind. Terrible puns, with some good ones, replayed. Simple, fluent touches, the feeling of moving so fluidly - it was more like they were one person rather than two individuals.

 _Chat_.

The only name she's ever known for him was like pouring salt on the wound. Her growing attraction to him was daunting, and she sometimes had issues hiding it now whenever she was on patrol or when he occasionally came to visit her at her balcony. But he was dating someone now, just as she was. She couldn't do anything about it. She was just left to silently suffer.

Marinette quietly got up after pushing Adrien's arm off her. She went over to his Dance Dance Revolution machine, booting it up. She figured - if she couldn't fall asleep, she would simply tire herself out!

Of course, this came with the very real risk of waking Adrien up, but it was six o'clock at night! She understood he liked to cat nap, but sometimes it was a little ridiculous.

She picked her song and it started easily enough, the peaceful music echoing in the mostly quiet room as she danced. Having been playing on these machines since she was little, she had almost every song stored away somewhere in her muscle memory, and she was good enough to actually dance on the machine.

She moved until the song ended, turning around as her foot slammed down on the last note, blue eyes locking on green ones. She almost let out a yelp until soft, familiar lips met hers, and secure arms wrapped around her. She melted against the familiar feeling of Adrien's lips moving against her own, and they pulled away after just a couple seconds. Adrien chuckled at her. "You dance beautifully, my lady. Care to let me have the next one?" He asked with a familiar grin on his face.

"Of course, Chaton. Let me just change the - wait, what?"


	2. Chat Noir - Back to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat's side of the story.

It made no real sense, Chat knew that. His Lady forgetting about whole exchanges, identity reveals, the starts of healthy relationships? Of course, something always seemed off. She'd always confront him about feelings she had for him as Chat, insist a reveal because she "couldn't take it anymore," as if he could, right? Marinette would always insist they keep their relationship a secret, and then weeks later she would completely forget any of it happened. Now he had romantic relationships with her that were all cuddly and completely dorky in how in love the two of them were that he couldn't get out of his head, and some days he found himself missing her lips.

The cycle hadn't started again, and he figured that was because he started visiting Marinette at least once a week. He was having attachment issues. Every time he saw her, he wanted to grab her and hug her and kiss her until she got that dazed, lovestruck look on her face, the one where she could barely stand after, and he got to hold her until she got her bearings. But he couldn't. She didn't remember.

He couldn't help but remember the memories of those forgotten relationships. Thank god they had kept it secret every time, otherwise, their classmates would have noticed something was wrong. He had so many conversations with her, heart-to-heart and pointless existential crises, and everything in between. Sometimes no words were needed. 

And after realizing that Marinette had had a crush on him for, what, forever and a half? He finally took notice of how expectant everyone was for them to turn out, to get into a relationship and either be the sappiest couple the school had ever seen or such a power couple that even Kim would stop daring them to do things.

No, it certainly wasn't what it could be, he realized. Because now he knew what it really could be. And fuck, did he miss it. The feel of her lips against his, the full, belted out laughter coming from somewhere deep in her soul. He was screwed and he couldn't even find it in himself to care. He would always go back to that beautiful girl, it didn't matter how much it hurt when she inevitably forgot. 

* * *

Chat dropped by where Ladybug was waiting for him and he felt his heart wrench in a now familiar pain. She didn't turn and yell happily at his presence, didn't run up and hug him and kiss him senseless. No, that had stopped days prior, and it still ached. 

"Evening, my lady." He said softly. Ladybug turned her head and her eyes lit up at the sight of him, and he felt his breath catch. Fuck. Yeah, he was definitely screwed. Her smile did things to his body and mind that he was at least 90% sure was not healthy. 

"Hey, Chaton. How are you tonight?" She asked, moving closer to him, her eyes continuing to shine in a distracting way. He had to deal with the knowledge that the loving shine in her eyes was genuine and pretending like he didn't realize that.

"I'm great, Bugaboo. Thanks for asking." He grinned broadly. She pouted playfully and stepped back. He knew she hated that nickname but it always got her to back up and give him some breathing room.

She sighed. "Come on, Chat. We have to do patrol." She murmured with a smile before her eyes went wide when the building they were on began to shake, and a loud bang was heard across town. They both snapped their heads in direction of what was bound to be an Akuma, before zipping off at the sight of a giant.

 

This was not going well. No, not at all. They had been going back and forth with this giant for nearly 2 hours now, and it was starting to near midnight. He and Ladybug managed to find a hiding spot as the giant stopped past them. Chat sighed in relief, then grinned at his companion. "Well, milady, this is certainly a very  _big_ problem."

"Ugh, Chat, no, that was so bad-"

"But, not as _gargantuan_ as my everlasting love and adoration for you, Bugaboo." He purred, producing a peony seemingly out from nowhere, and holding it in front of her.

He watched as Ladybug's face turned a light red under her mask, reluctantly accepting the flower. "When did you-?"

" _And,_ I would like to in-"

"CHAT!" Ladybug yelled finally, suddenly looking mad, glaring at him. "We don't have  _time_ for your antics right now. The flower was very nice but can't you just focus for five seconds?" She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You have the attention span of an actual cat, I swear! I can't deal with your stupid flirting right now!"

Chat watched as she threw down the peony and zipped off, and he knew she expected him to follow. Because he always did. But he hesitated for now. This happened every time, one way or another. He felt his heart breaking under the scrutiny she had displayed for him.

Whenever she forgot, it started out like their old relationship. Where his flirting was discouraged and even frowned upon by his lady. He couldn't be the hopeless romantic he wanted to be and she often didn't return any sort of banter. It didn't matter how many times it happened, it always hurt enough for him to continue to feel it for the next week or so. He picked up the white peony she had thrown down and quietly slipped it into his own hair. The pain in his chest would have to wait. He could wait. This week would be over, and then the next would come, and then he could have two weeks of pure bliss with his lady, and all would be right in the world.

Until she forgot again. 

* * *

Adrien walked into school, coming in early to avoid confrontation with Marinette. He still had that white peony in his hair from last night, and even though the Akuma battle had ended shortly after his fight with her, she had kept him out to try and right the wrong she had created. It hadn't worked. His chest still ached, and he mourned the relationship she had no memory of.

But when Marinette walked in earlier than usual with Alya and Rose in tow, with Rose looking all too proud of herself, his breath caught. Marinette had her hair up in a braided crown going over the top of her head, with baby's breath and daisies weaved into her braid, making her look like a fairy. She had a black lacey top on and red shorts that reminded him of when she was Ladybug. She... fuck, she was fucking beautiful, and when she turned her shy blue eyes on him, he suddenly felt ten times lighter, and the ache nearly disappeared. 

He knew he was staring when Alya and Rose began to giggle. Marinette walked closer. "... h-hi, Adrien." She stuttered out, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

God... dammit. She was too cute. Did anyone have any right to be this cute? Hell no.

"Hey, Marinette. You look really pretty. Did Rose do your hair? I guess I hadn't noticed how long your hair was getting." He smiled as he tried to channel the stableness of his alter ego, but it seemed Marinette didn't have the same ability as him, as her face went bright red and she began to sputter. He internally groaned as he reminded himself he had to act clueless about Marinette's affection for him. He shouldn't have tried flirting with her, but it had just come out. He missed getting to tell her how beautiful she was, even as she slowly mended his heart from scratch.

She then caught sight of the flower in his own hair and she stopped, her eyes going wide, and her voice giving out to silence. He had to blink as if he didn't understand her reaction, then tilt his head. "Mari? Are you okay?" He asked, chewing on his bottom lip. Did she recognize the rumpled flower he had attempted to give her? Would she say something?

She slowly frowned and glanced away. "Uh... it's nothing. Thanks... for the compliment." She gave another shy smile and hurried off to her seat. 

That's when he caught sight of something that had become such a normal part of her image, he hadn't even noticed it - a very purple bracelet resting on her wrist, one he didn't recognize. It looked a bit like something she had worn to a formal dinner party last spring, but now he couldn't remember a time in the recent months where she wasn't wearing that thing. 

* * *

Of course, he had been invited to the winter party, but with the knowledge that Marinette was going to be there and looking like that? He couldn't bring himself to agree to come, despite being free. He knew he would be a damned fool to go. He would just stare as she sang and danced and want to dance with her, but if he did, he would just fall in love again and-

No, he couldn't go.

So it certainly was a surprise when he stopped on the roof of the building where the party was being held as Chat Noir, and looked across the street, only to see Marinette of all people sitting on the  _Arc de Triomphe_. What was she doing up there? Scratch that, with how depressed she was looking, he figured he knew why she was up there.

She was starting to understand her feelings for him.

He had caught her doing this a couple times during the cycle, where she started having a mild crisis about her romantic feelings for either of his egos. He had felt that after the first cycle ended, when he was torn between which ego he should try and confess to, but decided it would be painful to pretend he didn't love one while going out with the other, knowing they were the same person. So he hadn't said anything at all, just let it run its course.

Chat Noir vaulted over to the monument and landed near her. "Marinette?"

She didn't respond. Instead, a deep blush flooded her cheeks and she hugged her legs.

He frowned. "Princess?" He called, and then watched her shudder, her cheeks getting redder. Fuck. No. Not that. He couldn't call her that if _that_ was how she was going to respond. "Marinette, hey, you okay? How did you even get up here?"

Marinette looked down at her arm, turning it over under her gaze, like she was checking to make sure she didn't have her suit on, before finally looking up at him. Her eyes lit up a little at the sight of him, and he felt himself being pulled to her like a magnet. He knelt in front of her, but then sniffed when an offending odor hit him. He felt a sort of amusement spread through him as he recognized the smell. " _Princess,_ are you drunk?" He teased, putting a hand on her cheek.

Marinette rolled her eyes playfully and waved him off a little. "I only had a couple of glasses of wine... and a shot of the fireball whiskey that Alya brought back with her from her vay-cay in America."

Chat snorted. "And the wine?" He asked. Marinette had to think for a moment before smiling. "Ah, it was this really nice Banyuls and Maury that Chloe brought. It wasn't really expensive, sure, but it was rich." She grinned.

Chat blinked in surprise before laughing at her little pun. "Mari!" He laughed and gently put his other hand on her shoulder. "That wine has an ABV over 20%! How many glasses did you have?" He chuckled.

Marinette leaned into him and he felt his heart jump into his throat, glad she had closed her eyes because it felt like his face was burning. "Mmmm. Like 3 or 4? Normal pour, because those heavies don't know how to pour high alcohol wine." She grumbled and looked up at the clear night sky. "That's like... almost half a bottle, I think." She shrugged a little.

Chat let out another breathless laugh and gently picked her up. "Come on Mari, I think you're done for the night. Let's take you home."

Marinette curled up into him and he felt his heart stutter again before he quickly covered that up with a purr. She let out a little content sigh, snuggling against him. He began to make his way back to her house, knowing the route by heart. 

* * *

By the time they had got there, she had seemed to sober up a little bit. He set her down on her feet, quietly and easily slipping off the bracelet from around her wrist. Now that he had ahold of it, he could feel the energy coming from it. He needed to dispose of it and the Akuma. He was tired of these cycles torturing him. He needed his lady back and would prefer if it were for good.

"Okay, Princess. It's getting really late, and I gotta go. Please, drink some water and try and get some sleep." He said gently and started to climb back over the railing, but she stopped him before he could get very far. She had grabbed him by the collar of his suit and was a breath away, staring into his eyes for a moment before her eyes dropped to his lips. He felt his breath get caught. Was she going to kiss him? No. No, there was no way.

"Princess?" He asked nervously, licking his lips and watching her eyes follow the movement.

Surely enough, she let go of him, then immediately looked unsteady. "... Nevermind, Ch- Ch-" She grabbed onto the railing to steady herself, breathing slowly. "Nevermind,  _Chaton_." She met his eyes once again and he inhaled sharply at the nickname she typically only called him as Ladybug. She let go of the railing and walked over to her skylight, climbing down onto her bed. He heard her throw a "goodnight, Kitty" over her shoulder before he felt her movement still.

He walked over, staring down into the skylight, smiling at the beauty there laying in the moonlight. He gripped the bracelet in his hand but avoided snapping it just yet. He would find her a replacement, and instead of having her purify it, he would simply destroy the butterfly. She didn't remember anyway, what was the point in her not remembering anything at all from these past seven months? 

* * *

Adrien climbed the stairs up to Marinette's bedroom, a small plate in hand with a lemon bun, a small jar of jam, and some pills on it, and a glass of water in the other hand. He knocked before entering, hearing a groan from the bed. He chuckled. "Good morning, Marinette. How are you feeling today?"

"Fucking terrible. What did I even do last night?"

Adrien laughed at his hungover sweetheart, climbing up the stairs to her bed and sitting down, smiling as he gently tugged the girl upright when she struggled to do so for several seconds. He slid the plate into her lap, picking up the pills and keeping them in his palm. She looked down at the plate, recognition soon filling her features as the offered food. 

"Oh my God, I love you." She said suddenly, immediately beginning to prepare her food to eat. The sudden bout of affection brought about by the food was a welcome surprise. He grinned when she hesitated to eat, knowing all too well why she had stopped.

"Come on, Mari. You gotta eat to stave off that hangover a little." He nudged her, and she fell into him, snuggling against his side. The action made his cheeks heat up.

"But Kittyyyy." She whined. He stiffened. What? What? No, had she found him out? But she hadn't even looked at him! There was no way! "Eating doesn't feel good when I'm like this." She said before promptly shoving the food into her mouth.

He relaxed. No, he thought, she wouldn't have figured him out. She probably just thought he sounded like Chat. Which... well, she wouldn't be wrong. "Well, Mari, as long as you eat. I also have some migraine pills and water." He said and put his arm around her. It felt so nice to have her close to him, and it felt like it burned wherever she touched him. A pleasant burning, a missed sting. 

All his thoughts halted as he heard her  _moan_ into her food, swallowing it down before she started talking again. "Oh my God, can I like - marry you or something?" She said and curled herself up into his side like a kitten searching for warmth. He laughed to cover up his choking, suddenly very aware of how quiet it actually was around them in her bedroom. After he calmed down, he had to channel his inner Chat Noir to avoid stumbling over his words.

"Well, I imagine you'd have to take that up with my father first, and I'd have to talk to your parents."

"Ugh, screw your dad." She muttered against her food, surprising him. She had talked bad about how his father treated him in the past, but never before they had started dating again. "I don't remember who he is right now or if you ever told me who he is, all I remember right now is that he's an ass, especially to you. And my parents already like you if they let you come up here and take care of me, you're basically a shoo-in." She said and stuffed her face with another bite of her breakfast. 

"Pfft." He began to chuckle happily, holding Marinette closer since she didn't seem to protest about him doing so. She soon finished her food and seemed to hesitate, before just melting into his side. He was glad. He didn't know what he would do or how he would react if she moved away just yet. He needed some more time. 

Marinette began rubbing her eyes. "Where's the migraine pills you were talking about?" She asked. When she lowered her hands, he passed off the medicine and water to her, watching her down both.

She hesitated before relaxing again. "Are you okay with me leaning on you like this?"

 _Yes_ , screamed the voice in his head,  _I'll happily let you lay on me for all eternity if you asked me to_.

"Of course I am. You don't feel good, I'm happy to be your pillow as long as you like." He responded kindly and politely instead of what his screaming thoughts suggested, even though it was similar to those screaming thoughts. At least it wasn't as blatant.

Marinette nuzzled into him, but then she hesitated again. This time she sat up all the way. "Uh... wait." She sat up, rubbing her head. Adrien shifted to get more comfortable, smiling up at her as he waited as patiently as he could. "I thought you were Chat, but now that I'm a little more awake, I'm... not as sure." She murmured, moving her hands to scrub over her face. "You certainly sound like him... and even kind of act like him. But you aren't. Who are you?"

Adrien couldn't help but grin. "The guy you just proposed to?" He asked, knowing that damned cocky smirk was on his face, the one that constantly got him in trouble.

Marinette let out a groan and then followed it up with a giggle. "Knowing my luck? You're probably Adrien and I just embarrassed the hell out of myself." She mumbled, tugging her hair out of the ruined braid on her head and let it fall, then ran her fingers through it. Adrien's breath caught, the sight sending his heart into a more of a tumble than a neat flip, and he felt sorry for the acrobat that was his heart for also getting distracted by the sheer beauty of this seemingly simple girl.

He had come here to confess, tell her of all the shit that had been going down for the past seven months, to put her on the record for the longest and most frustrating Akuma yet, but now wasn't the time. No. It just wasn't. He needed a better time. For now, he was content with keeping it to himself.

"That's not true, Marinette. You didn't embarrass yourself. I chose to come up here, knowing you were hungover and perhaps even delirious. I was ready to tell you everything, and prepared for anything... except the proposal, but it would be a lie to say I dislike the idea. And I don't lie."

Marinette blinked her eyes open finally. She looked around the room, then down at his feet, which were clad in the most ridiculous socks he owned, trailing all the way up until they met his eyes. He began to unconsciously mess with his hair, tugging on one of the shorter strands. It got longer when he was Chat, but it was still decently long as Adrien, and he did have to tie it back. Some of his friends had remarked that he looked a bit like a 1400s sailor ready for discovery, and he had just brushed them off. Whatever, no he didn't.

"Fuck." She breathed, her face going firetruck red. He shouldn't have found that as cute he as did. "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" She asked, reaching back and beginning to loosely braid her long hair, tying it off at the end before looking up to face him again. He smiled at her warmly, feeling so much adoration fill his chest, he couldn't even articulate it.

"Were you, uh... being serious? The idea doesn't sound like, absolutely horrible?" She asked cautiously.

Adrien smiled. "Of course I was being serious, Mari. But, I think I would like to date you for a little while before I agree to a legal contract." He grinned, watching her face go from the firetruck red to more of a scarlet.

"That- that's actually perfect." Marinette smiled, shifting close to him and leaning against his side again.

They sat in a surprisingly comfortable silence as they just cuddled for a good twenty minutes before Adrien finally piped up.

"Oh, and Marinette?"

"Yeah?

"I really didn't mind it when you called me Kitty." 

* * *

Months passed. They hadn't revealed themselves to each other, even though Adrien knew all too well who Marinette was and fell a little harder for her every day.

She didn't seem suspicious of anything at all, but she was starting to grow a little distant and get shyer around Chat. He wasn't worried. He figured, he knew what was happening. She was starting to realize her feelings weren't going away and was getting nervous. He needed to reveal himself soon - he couldn't stand the tension of him knowing and her not.

The relationship had started out like the others, with her trying to teach him how a relationship was supposed to work. He was already partially adept at it, and she remarked that he learned quickly for someone so sheltered, but was happy about it. But because it started the same, he was worried that it would end up as it had in the past.

But it didn't happen. Because this wasn't the same. He had gotten rid of the Akuma and started dating just Marinette, not Marinette/Ladybug.

Marinette was over at his house today, and he wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, but when he woke up, Marinette was on his DDR machine, dancing like nobody was watching and getting perfects like nobody's business. The sound of 0/1 ANGEL rang throughout his room, but it was peaceful and not jarring. He was glad she had chosen this song in particular. 

He got out of bed and walked over, smiling as he watched her hips shake and her feet move to the beat of the song. She was really good, good enough to actually dance while she pressed the required buttons. How was his girlfriend so amazing? He would never be too sure.

The last note of the song came and she turned around with a jump, with her heels slamming down onto the side buttons, and their eyes locked. He could see the panic filling her eyes and he thought quickly, grabbing her and pulling her into a hug, and covering her lips with his own. It took her a beat too long but she melted into him, moving her lips in kind. He had to pull away before he lost his senses. He chuckled at the dreamy look on her face. "You dance beautifully, my lady. Care to let me have the next one?"

"Of course,  _Chaton_. Let me just change the- wait, what?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So  
> I was rereading this because I recently got a very nice comment on this work  
> And you know how you read something and you see all the little mistakes you made?  
> Yeah, well, I had left whole ass notes for when I was writing this at the bottom, which, while they were just song lyrics, doesn't mean it wasn't kind of embarrassing.  
> Oh well.


	3. Rise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Oh, ye of so little faith_   
>  _Don't doubt it, don't doubt it_   
>  _Victory is in my veins_   
>  _I know it, I know it_   
>  _And I will not negotiate_   
>  _I'll fight it, I'll fight it_   
>  _I will transform_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small drabble that took me way too long to complete.

Paris... was in ruins.

Marinette stared out at the decimated buildings as she walked around, eyes scanning the damage. Some buildings were largely untouched, some you would have been surprised to learn that they had been standing tall and proud just a week earlier. Maybe days earlier. Who knows?

Marinette had figured - it had been a decade of Akuma attacks and false leads to Hawkmoth, and in the tail-end of that decade (the previous two years), the Akumas had slowed down considerably. Not because of the Parisian attitude becoming more optimistic, certainly not. Marinette regularly saw her coworkers get to Akuma-worthy frustration levels and had always been paranoid until they came back looking calm and ready to try again. Instead of weekly or almost daily Akuma, it had shrunk down to maybe once a month, sometimes one wouldn't appear for two or three months at a time. Marinette had figured, the Akuma for that month had already come and gone, and it was safe to go on a much-needed vacation.

She had apparently been wrong.

As she walked the streets, she heard the familiar yells of her friends, but when she looked around, they weren't anywhere to be seen. No one was. Where was everyone, and what was that noise?

She hugged herself, then heard her partner's voice yell "Princess" in the distance. She whipped her head around, looking up to the rooftops. Still no one.

She gripped her jacket tightly, knowing she should transform and go find the Akuma, but she felt uneasy.

Marinette turned and looked around the abandoned street again. "... hello?"

No response.

 _Obviously,_ she thought,  _like an Akuma was going to respond to that stupid shit-_

"Whoever's there- I... I'm assuming you're the Akuma, and I know you're probably in pain. I'm sorry! Please, come out, maybe we can talk?" She called, looking around again.

Silence.

Marinette bit her lip, the faint cries of her friends screaming her name sending shudders down her spine. Guilt, this was guilt. She had felt it plenty times before, but perhaps not so intensely that she had started hearing things. She looked around and let out a sigh. "Okay, I guess if you're not going to come out and have a talk, then I'll just make you come out and play." She murmured, opening her bag and letting her equally creeped out Kwami out. "Tikki, transform me." She murmured. 

Marinette sighed as the familiar wash of power consumed her, her eyes falling shut as she felt her clothes change from soft cotton and silks to the stretch of comfortable magic. Her eyes only opened when the cries of her name changed to screams of 'Ladybug,' and a more violent shudder went through her at the vastly increased number of voices calling for her. She latched her yo-yo onto a nearby lamppost and she zipped away, going to find the Akuma and restore her city and its people. 

* * *

Chat Noir sat patiently with his friends from lycée and collége. Not that  _they_ knew that, but you know. He did. At least he wasn't alone.

He had been stuck with them in this strange glass box for days, but they never seemed to get hungry or thirsty. Which, he supposed that was a good thing, but you could only stay in a space so long and attempt to conserve your phone's battery for so long before you got bored.

They had tried to talk, but with Chat trying to conceal his identity, he couldn't really tell them many stories or exclaim an "I remember that!" at _their_ stories, which made him a little depressed. He was surprised that Plagg hadn't lost energy yet and forced him to time out by now, but, then again, they didn't seem to lose energy in this timeless space either.

"Do we really just have to wait, and hope and pray Ladybug comes back from her vacation at a decent time?"

Chat Noir frowned at Nino's question, but couldn't tell him no. He had tried everything they could think of to get out of these cubes, but nothing seemed to work.

So they waited.

When they heard footsteps, they all groaned softly, expecting the Akuma to be back to monologue about his "precious cubes" and how he would "preserve all Parisians in a glass case" or whatever. But when they looked up, they were all shocked to see Marinette walking the streets. Marinette, with her soft pixie cut, the streak of gold caressing her bangs, the pink summer dress that circled her knees and flowed in the gentle breeze. Sweet, innocent, Marinette, who they all assumed had been caught in one of the boxes, too. But here she was, looking around at the destroyed city, looking severely creeped out and a little scared. She tugged at the short braid on the side of her head, looking around again.

They all scrambled up and yelled for Marinette. They had never tried with the Akuma, but they assumed that the boxes weren't soundproof. Hopefully, she would be able to hear them as they yelled and banged on the walls of the box. They had also assumed that she could see the boxes, just like they could see the other boxes around them, but she just turned her head, looking around her quickly. 

Chat Noir growled with frustration. "PRINCESS!" He yelled in anguish, desperate for her to hear him. He wanted to run to her, hug her, hell, he wanted to  _kiss_ her he had missed her so badly. He had had no idea she was out of the boxes and had been worried sick. Or maybe she had found a way out of the boxes? He had no idea, but he needed to get to her with no viable way.

But all Marinette did was snap her head in where she thought the noise was coming from, looking directly into his eyes for a second before she looked up at the buildings.

She gripped her jacket, shifting around. "... hello?" She called quietly, and Alya groaned.

She couldn't see them.

And at best, she could barely hear them. 

And she was too creeped out to function.

"Whoever's there- I... I'm assuming you're the Akuma, and I know you're probably in pain. I'm sorry! Please, come out, maybe we can talk?" She looked around. 

Chat Noir looked down at his companions and nodded before turning back, and they all yelled her name in the hopes that she could hear them. Marinette's face twisted in pain and she shuddered, looking around again. She then steeled herself, her expression changing from creeped out to one of determination. "Okay, I guess if you're not going to come out and have a talk, then I'll just make you come out and play."

They all began to panic. "What? No, Mari, you can't face that Akuma!" Chat tried to yell, but his voice was lost when she opened her bag and let out a little red sprite that looked rather uneasy. She then called for a transformation. A pink light surrounded her, and they watched as all the other Parisians around them suddenly became a lot more interested. 

The pink light disappeared, and Chat Noir gaped at his partner, who had her eyes closed, and looked so at ease. Fuck, he had missed Ladybug too, but not like this. Now that he knew the two people he had been worrying about the most were one and the same, the ache in his heart weighed on him heavily. Him, his companions, and all the Parisians close by all screamed for her. 

_Ladybug_

_No_

_Ladybug, please_

_Save yourself_

_Please get out of here before he traps you as well_

_You're our only hope, you can't get captured too_

_Ladybug_

Chat Noir watched as she shuddered a little more violently. She grabbed her yo-yo off her hips and launched herself away, something he knew Ladybug did more often than she had too since she had wings now, purely out of habit. They all screamed for her as she zipped away. Chat Noir could only hope she would be okay. He couldn't help her. 

* * *

Ladybug looked around as she zipped around. Where  _was_ everybody? She hadn't seen a single Parisian since she had gotten there, and even using her wings to flutter over the streets instead of going through them individually, she couldn't find one person.

Were they all holed up somewhere? Or were they all dead? Was Chat with them? What of her friends?

It only took an hour of searching for her hopes to plummet. She had searched very street, every back alley, glanced inside broken houses and apartments and listened for something,  _anything_ , but there was just... nothing. 

Nothing at the bakery.

Nothing at her old school, nor her current one.

No one at the Trocadero.

No one by the Eiffel Tower.

No one anywhere.

She soon ended up back by the Louvre, where she had come in, standing on a building and staring at the glass pyramid. She felt her heart sink slowly, before she hyped herself back up and clenched her fists. 

"CHAT!" She yelled, listening to her voice travel over the buildings for a split second, waiting for a response. Nothing.

"ADRIEN?!"

"ALYA!"

"NINO, ARE YOU THERE?"

"CHLOE?!"

Ladybug cried for her friends, tears beginning to well up in her eyes when she got no response. Just silence. Dead, infectious silence.

"KITTY, PLEASE, ANSWER ME!" She cried.

She heard the faint cries of Ladybug from the streets once more and she felt herself shudder again.

"Anyone?" She called once more.

Her hands fell to her sides and laid there limp for a time. 

So, this is what despair felt like.

It was like an emptiness that filled your chest, then spread to the rest of your body, sapping out every ounce of energy one had until all it left was an empty shell. A feeling that filled your head with fog and prevented any thoughts from coming to the surface.

And the voices yelling out for her all around weren't helping.

She desperately tried to block out their voices, putting her hands over her ears, shaking her head before finally breaking. 

"STOP IT!" She cried, feeling hot tears flow down her face. "I don't know who you are, Akuma, but trying to creep me out by putting voices in my head isn't going to work!" She yelled, her fists clenching tightly beside her. She felt her hands shaking, and she slowly lifted her face again, looking out at the setting sun. She fluttered up slowly, her fingers fluttering rapidly as she took in a deep breath. "I will find my friends - I will find my kitty, even if I have to die trying." She said, sounding considerably more calm, but looking more determined.

"AKUMA! I'M TIRED OF YOUR GAMES! COME OUT HERE SO I CAN OBLITERATE YOU!" She roared, sparks of pink magic falling from her fingers to the ground by the glass pyramid. As soon as the sparks hit the ground, thick, powerful vines grew from the ground, positioning themselves threateningly, ready to fight for their Lady of Creation.

* * *

Chat wasn't sure which he was more terrified of; an angry akuma, or an angry Ladybug. Because right now, she looked absolutely furious at the loss of her friends. Chat had only seen her summon her vines once before, and it was... after he had gotten hurt as Adrien. He had been bleeding and coughing and the look on Ladybug's face was murderous. Not much different from right now, actually. 

The Akuma did what was asked of him, having looked rather casual, coming out with a cup of tea and starting to talk before actually looking at Ladybug, then looked as terrified as Chat felt. 

Chat didn't know what to do. He needed to help her, get her to calm down before she did something she'd come to regret, but he was still stuck in this damned box!

"Ha... haha... ha... oh, hi, Ladybug. Fancy meeting you here! Uhhh... how about we just... talk this out? I mean, you look really mad, and, uh, I kind of... don't want to die?"

"Sorry, but just like you akumas are non-negotiable with miraculous, I'm non-negotiable when it comes to my loved ones!" She yelled, her vines shooting out. The Akuma hastily dodged out of the way with an uncharacteristic yelp, but he was only free for a moment before the second vine wrapper around him, looking like it was squeezing the very life out of him. She brought the Akuma closer, snarling like a rabid dog and looking like Elizabeth Bathory's psychotic reincarnation. 

"Where. Is it?" Was all she said, and the Akuma hastily gave her the pin. He watched as the look of death melted off her face, replaced with sheer confusion. She took the pin, her brow furrowing as she shook her head incredulously. 

"A... an insect pin?" She asked and looked at him, and he smiled sheepishly. "I'm the Entomologist. I wished to preserve all of Paris - keep it and its people out of harm's way and study them all!" He said excitedly. "I was just getting over here by the Louvre, actually! I was going to study the Miraculous while I waited for you-"

Ladybug took a moment to look disgusted, then let her vine throw him to the ground, not very gently either. She broke the pin and watched the ugly purple butterfly flutter out from the broken tool. Chat watched her as she just stared at the butterfly. She purified it, then called for a lucky charm, and when it landed in her palm, Chat recognized it as something like his baton. His Lady stared at like a bane as she floated down, and the vines disappeared back into the ground.

"It's going to be okay, Kitty. I'm going to get you back." She said, almost too quietly for them to hear, even though she had landed right next to their box. She then threw the baton into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug." She called gently, watching the item disappear in the flash of pink, ladybugs shooting out to get to work on repairing Paris.

It was all done in seconds, and the boxes disappeared before her very eyes, and Ladybug's eyes went wide as she realized that the people weren't appearing, they had been there the whole time.

She turned to look at the group of friends right next to her, who were all staring at her with wide eyes, and she let out a very uncharacteristic yelp and jumped back, her own eyes wide.

Chat Noir could only laugh at his dearest, dearest friend, walking to her with what he knew was a lovesick grin. "You know, it really is such a wonderful feeling to know that you would kill a man to get me back, even if it is a disturbing thought." He chuckled, touching her shoulder. Ladybug relaxed under his touch and her face scrunched up a little, a light blush spread over her cheeks and around her eyes, looking like she was ready to cry. 

"Chaton." She said weakly before tackling him in a hug, with him only barely catching her and keeping them upright. He hugged her back, reaching up and running one hand through her short hair, then nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. "It's good to see you, too, princess." He whispered, and she let out a sad hiccup, snuggling into him more tightly.

"I-I thought I lost you." She sobbed into his shoulder, her hands gripping the back of his suit. "Y-You, and Alya, and Nino, a-and-"

"But you didn't, and that's what matters, my Lady. We were all here the whole time. We knew you would come back, we all knew you would save us." He murmured, hugging her tightly.

Ladybug let out another hiccup as her earrings gave a warning beep, but didn't bother. She just pulled away a little and began to wipe her eyes, looking almost happy again.

"Kitty, I need to tell you this - I need to tell you this now before I forget to again." She said quickly, looking up at him with shining eyes and Chat just shook his head. 

"You don't need to tell me anything, princess. You don't owe me anything."

"But-"

"No buts. If anything, it's me who owes you." Chat watched as she rolled her eyes then got this determined look on her face that he wasn't sure he should be concerned about or not. "I should have-"

Chat was cut off when Ladybug suddenly leaped up into his arms and shut him up by covering his mouth with her own. He was so shocked that he didn't even react, just stared at her with wide eyes. Just as she moved to pull away, though, he pressed his head up, kissing her back briefly before pulling away, staring at her curiously.

"Uhh..."

"Wish you had listened now, you silly kitty?" She grinned, then nuzzled against his chest. "I've been trying to tell you that I love you for  _months_ now, but you and your stupid antics always side track me." She murmured, running her fingers through his soft hair. Chat felt his heart leap up into his throat and he began to blush. 

The last warning beep sounded off from Ladybug's earrings before her transformation dropped right in front of them all, confirming her identity for anyone who still didn't believe it was her. Marinette. Paris's most beloved designer, right next to Gabriel Agreste. 

"Now, Kitty, i think it's time you dropped that mask."


	4. I Don't Know About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I know you like Bud Light_  
>  I know you got blue eyes  
> I know you got my heart beat lifting a spot  
> Now we can jump in  
> Fall into something  
> And the perfect place to start is... 

A masquerade ball.

Not really his idea of a party or a good time, but, hey, he wasn't the one who made him come to the party.

He told himself that he was here only because his father wanted him to be there, but somehow, he knew that wasn't correct.

The point of the party was that you were supposed to be completely unrecognizable. You were required to style your hair in a way that was very different from how you normally did, you had to wear a mask that, at the very least, covered up most of the top of your face, but you could have on that also covered your mouth or nose, and your mask had to match your attire, which had to be very formal wear.

And even though Adrien had told himself that he was here because of his father's wishes, he knew that was a lie.

He knew why he really, secretly, wanted to be here.

A masquerade ball was the perfect place for people like him and Ladybug to come out and have a good time, as themselves, with little to no risk. As long as no one else knew...

And he wanted to see her.

God, did he want to see her.

And he just  _knew_ that she would be here, because she just  _had_ to be, right?

* * *

Marinette sighed as she walked into the grand building that this charity ball was being held in, glancing towards the dancing area that she had yet to go to. She felt nervous.

Her hair was done up in curls and her mask was red with black lace laying over it, the mask being held onto her face securely with a hair piece that went back and wrapped around her hair, as an extra precaution. She had been invited by Adrien, but hadn't told him anything about how she was dressing in order to conform to the conditions of the invite.

No one was supposed to know who you were.

She could do that, easy. She did it all the time as Ladybug.

And that's what had given her the idea to make a ball gown designed after her costume. It was a v-neck, with the sides crossing over one another like a cheongsam, with an empire waist, modest high-low skirt, black underskirt ruffles and black lace around the edges of the skirt. Something tastefully modern but styled after two historical styles of dresses from both of her nationalities. But even with the black dress coat that hugged her frame and the onyx and dark rubies hanging around her neck, she felt nervous.  _No_ one knew that Ladybug was coming, not even Adrien's father, the host of this party. She knew she would have eyes on her, but...

She always had eyes on her. So it wouldn't be very different.

She could do this.

She took a deep breath and walked out, her invitation in one hand with her other clutching her heart. 

* * *

Adrien didn't know it was even possible to fall in love a second time with the same person, but apparently it was.

It didn't help that not a single person other than her was wearing red, it made her so noticeable.

And dear god she was beautiful.

Since he only knew her as Chat Noir and not as a civilian, he hadn't seen much more than her suit had shown him. Her too-thin figure that was still somehow curvy enough to make him trip over himself even though the only skin it even showed was her face and like an eighth of her neck.

This was different, and he wasn't sure if it was a good different or a bad different.

He could see almost all of her calves, and aside from the short cap sleeves on her shoulders,  _all_ of her arms, her chest, hidden behind jewelry of course but that wasn't the point, and the light blush seeping up from under her mask at the eyes on her. The servant behind her took her dress coat from her shoulders and went to go hang it up.

Adrien felt his face heat up and hoped it wasn't too obvious for her sake, but at some point her eyes had landed on him and begun to stare, her beautiful blue eyes widening in recognition. Did she recognize him as Adrien or Chat, he wondered, and wondered further if it would make a difference as who she recognized him as? Would she tell Adrien more than she told Chat Noir? If he was honest with himself, maybe, because Adrien doesn't have that much information about her, Chat does, and could try and figure it out.

Would it be so terrible of him to want her to recognize him as the self he hated, just so he could get closer to her? 

* * *

She already knew he was at this party, but it was one thing knowing and an entirely different thing to see him there.

White suit, mussed hair, shining green eyes. Gold trim lining his suit, with his medals set off to the side.

Despite her having hated him going off to serve in the French Military, it left him with a few things to be proud of that he could call his own and left her with a few more things to appreciate about Adrien Agreste, if she did say so herself. His black mask that covered the upper half of his face, in which his hair was insistent on falling in front of, made her almost think he was Chat, which, honestly, would have almost been more welcome than seeing Adrien, because it meant she would have a friend to laugh with there at the party.

It would have been a welcome surprise.

Especially since she found herself walking down the stairs and moving towards Adrien without even thinking, and he didn't even have the decency to look spooked or nervous. No, Adrien just had to smile that bright, real smile and let his green eyes shine with some unreadable positive emotion sitting there behind them, the smile she knew was making the corner of his eyes crinkle with joy and if she glanced to his cheek, would be showing that stupidly adorable dimple that his father hated, the one he was forced to manufacture smiles to hide. But this brilliant, heart-clenching smile didn't hide that, and she already knew that she was fucked.

"... hi, A- er, well." She smiled bashfully. "How 'bout I just call you Sunshine? After all, I wouldn't want anyone to find out your secret identity." She winked, her smile just a bright even though it was small, but she was internally screaming at herself as she lightly bowed before moving on to make acquaintances. 

* * *

She was so much more beautiful than he would have ever thought she would be, and he was having a hard time keeping his eyes off of her, even as she glided around the hall, talking up people left and right like a damn expert. 

Which, he supposed she would be. She had to deal with the press all the time, and, surely, she must be popular in her civilian life. Where else would she have gotten that charisma?

There was a strange lull when she stopped talking to people, and walked up to the bar, smiled that charming smile, and asked for a drink. Yeah, eight or so years of dealing with the press is definitely where that charisma came from, because she was  _not_ that smooth when they first met.

He found his feet walking towards her before he could think better of it, and before he knew it, he was standing next to her. She glanced at him and a light blush spread over her cheeks under her mask, and the only thing Adrien could think was  _cute_.

"Er... hi." Adrien smiled, shifting from foot to foot. "Sorry if I'm intruding... I usually don't just walk up to strangers, but..." He shrugged. "I guess I couldn't resist." He grinned at her as she began to giggle.

"You know, I get that a lot." Ladybug said, taking her drink and sipping at it for a second. "But somehow, hearing that from you, it doesn't feel as formal and threatening." She snorted, smiling as she gazed down into the honey brown color of her drink.

"Formal and threatening?" He chuckled. "I can leave if you want? I understand it's strange to have some random guy walk up to you."

Ladybug laughed. "No, no, it's okay. I enjoy your company more than you probably realize." She shifted her skirted for a moment before sitting on one of the stools, smiling up at him. Her eyes were gleaming with something he didn't understand, but decided he liked that look on her.

 

They wandered the party for a while, talking about nothing in particular, but they were frequently interrupted by someone eager to meet her. At one point, a pale woman walked up to them with an easy smile on her face, and he watched as Ladybug actually froze up. "V-Vanessa Bruno." She stuttered out, her eyes going wide.

"Oh, you know who I am." The woman smiled, "you must follow my instagram, then," and Ladybug's eyes went even wider. 

"Know you? I've watched all the movies you designed for - you designed with Di Gusto, didn't you?"

"Oh, you  _really_ know me." The designer let out a little laugh. "Are you interested in designing?"

Ladybug froze again and seemed to think, looking conflicted for a moment. She shifted on her feet, which he just now noticed were only clad in familiar black flats with the small rose pattern coming up from the toes to the outside of the shoe. Where had he seen those shoes before?

"No, no, I'm not, personally. But I have a friend, and she absolutely loves your work. She runs an online boutique. I'll give you her contact info and the link to her website - I'm sure she would love it if she knew you looked at her designs, even if you didn't like them." She smiled, opening a purse that really looked hand-sewn, at least to Adrien, and she pulled out a card. It was a black card with shines of rose gold on the front of back.  _Those are pretty_ , Adrien thought quietly,  _but I've seen those somewhere before, too_.

Mme. Bruno took the card and smiled as she looked it over, mouthing something to herself. "Ah, yes, I remember Mssr. Agreste talking about this girl, I promised him I would looked at her work anyhow. But it's good to have her contact info. He didn't seem to have it." She smiled at Ladybug. "Thank you for this. You really didn't have to. Tell your friend that I wish her the best in her career." She said and waved, beginning to walk off.

"I-I will!" Ladybug stammered, then smiled brightly like there wasn't anything better someone could have told her at that moment.

 

They walked out onto the balcony of nearly an hour of walking around and talking, with Adrien introducing her to other designers who also seemed interested in this friend of hers. Despite thinking that this little tour he was giving her was rather lame, both of them had stumbled onto the balcony laughing their heads off, and when they calmed down, Ladybug had let out a happy sigh, placing one hand on her chest as she leaned back on the railing. "Oh my god." She breathed. "I can't believe I made it through all that without fainting!" She laughed.

"Seriously? Aside from like, the occasional stutter, you were smoother than butter! I didn't know you were that nervous." He grinned.

Ladybug giggled and slowly slid to the ground, arranging her skirts so she could sit comfortably without showing anyone the underside of her skirt. "Yeah, well, it is a little nerve wracking when you meet people that your friend gushes about all the time and you have to convince them to take their card." She shrugged. "But it seemed like most of them had already heard of her... oh, if only she were here to listen to them. She'd probably faint." She giggled out.

Adrien moved to sit next to her and smiled at her, looking her over quietly. He was still taken aback by how beautiful she was, even though he had been walking around with her for over an hour. He wasn't sure he'd ever get over this sight.

"Hey, can we play a game?"

"What sort of game?"

"I was thinking... something like 20 questions?"

"What's that?"

Adrien looked at her and chuckled. "You don't know what 20 questions is?"

Ladybug huffed, but she was smiling. "No?"

Adrien smiled. "It's a game where two people ask 20 questions each, to the other person. It's just to get to know one another."

Ladybug frowned and shifted. "This... you aren't trying to find out what my identity is, are you?"

Adrien's eyes went wide. "What? No, no! Moons, no! I just..." He blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, I just... wanted to get to know you. Is that bad?"

Ladybug stared at him for a moment before shifting to get comfortable. "Okay, Sunshine. Between Chat Noir and I, do you have a favorite?"

"Oh, you, definitely."

He hadn't even hesitated in his answer and it made her face go red, but she was smiling. He supposed that was a good thing. 

"Okay, then I guess it's your turn."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Oooh, pink." She grinned. "Pink, definitely."

Adrien laughed. "That's funny, 'cause," he pulled out a small box, wrapped in bright blue paper. "I got something for you that happens to be  _very_ pink."

Ladybug's eyes went wide and her jaw slightly slack. She gently took the present when offered to her and opened it up. Inside was a charm bracelet, the bracelet itself being made of large gold chain links with the charms dangling from smaller chains. A red ladybug, a gold statue of the Eiffel tower, and then various pink charms of little things like letters, a dress, and... a black cat paw. It fastened with a ribbon as pink as her bedroom walls and Ladybug felt her face going hot. "You really didn't have to..."

"But I wanted to. Here, let me put it on you." He smiled and plucked the bracelet from her fingers, tying it around her wrist gently, and she held still for him. Once it was on, she bit her lip and looked up at him. "Okay... uh... what's your favorite food?"

"Oh! I actually have a good answer for this one!" He grinned. "There's this bakery by my old school - it's called the T&S Boulangerie. This couple runs the shop, and their daughter makes the most delicious caramel macarons and chocolate croissants. Literally, like... I would give them thousands of dollars if they just taught me how the  _hell_ they make those.

He grinned at her laughter, watched as she held her stomach and doubled over slightly. He found that he really loved her laugh, and he couldn't remember a single time he had gotten her to laugh this hard. She slowly calmed down, looking over and smiling at him.

"Okay, when's your birthday?"

"Ha." Ladybug laughed and grinned at him. "Aww, think you'll find out who I am through my birthday?"

"No! I just want to know. I can get you future presents that way." He grinned, as though that was a delightful idea.

Ladybug just giggled. "Fine. My birthday is March 21st." She smiled.

Adrien blinked at her and tilted his head slowly. "Yeah?" He smiled to cover up his confusion. He honestly hadn't been trying to figure her out, but he couldn't help but realize that March 21st was also Marinette's birthday.

"Okay, ummmm... do you have a favorite fairy tale?" She asked, smiling at him. 

He blinked. He had been fully expecting her to ask for his birthday in return. "Uh." He relaxed slowly. "Le Petit Prince." He murmured with a smile. Ladybug lit up at that. "Did you know they made a movie for that book? It's sooo cute." She chirped, and Adrien found himself nodding along. At that moment, she sounded very suspiciously like a certain princess of his who was gushing about that movie just a couple months ago...

"What's your sign?"

"My what?"

"You know - that zodiac thing. What's your sign?" He smiled at her.

Ladybug smiled and tilted her head curiously. "I'm a cusp. I'm on the line between Pisces and Aries. You?"

"I'm a Sagittarius." 

"Ah, thought so." She giggled. "Anyway, it's you're turn again."

Adrien tried to think of something, and as he did, his eyes wandered the area around them. It was an outside balcony that had been enclosed so people could sit out there in the winter, and there were vines crawling up the wooden panels with flowers blooming from them. Just when he thought of a question, and turned to ask her, but it immediately left him when he noticed her doing something to her wrist. Well, she was just rubbing it, over with her thumb, like some sort of subconscious action, but it was slowly rubbing away make up that had been there and showing... was that a tattoo?

"What does that say?" He asked suddenly, making Ladybug jump. She followed his eyes down to her wrist and her eyes went comically wide, and she bit her lip hard. "I, uh..." She seemed to stumble, trying to think of some excuse, before just sighing and showing it to him.

He lightly grabbed her wrist to hold it steady, his eyes gazing at the beautiful script of red and dark blue.

_Everyone has a happy ending. If you aren't happy yet, then it's not the end._

"Oh wow." Adrien whispered, looking up at her. She was blushing and had a small smile on her face. "Not... not even my friends know about this yet. I just got it a couple days ago, I guess on a whim. I don't regret it though..." She ducked her head down with a smile on her face. "I'm glad I have it. It reminds me, when I'm down, that I'm freaking out over nothing..."

"... Ladybug?"

"Yeah, Sunshine?"

"Do you... maybe wanna ditch this party?"

Ladybug's head snapped up to look at him, her eyes wide. "What?"

"I never wanted to be here in the first place, and I know even you got bored of it after that first 30 minutes. Would you like to ditch with me?" He asked, smiling a grin that he knew was too much Chat and not very Adrien.

She seemed to pick up on that, a confused look on her face, but smiled. "Okay, but I want my next question before we ditch this place."

"Lay it on me."

"I thought you were Adrien Agreste - I really did, but now I'm not so sure. When I first saw you, I could have sworn you were Chat Noir. Who are you?"

Adrien grinned again before shaking his head. "Right now? I'm no one, but whether you hear weird questions from either of the owners of those names, you'll never find out which one I am." He smirked. "Now, come on. You promise me a pick up."


	5. Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I'm bigger than my body_  
>  I'm colder than this home  
> I'm meaner than my demons  
> I'm bigger than these bones  
> And all the kids cried out  
> "please stop, you're scaring me"  
> I can't help this awful energy  
> Goddamn right, you should be scared of me  
> Who is in control?

Adrien didn't know what to do. He was at a loss. He was just watching as this akuma, his friend (and ex), ravaged the town.

She, Marionette, was mildly horrifying. Marinette... She still looked like herself, her long blue hair laying in her signature braid behind her, her bright blue eyes shining and glassy in the sunlight.

The only problem?

Her typically porcelain-pale, nearly clear skin, was _actually_ starting to look like porcelain.

Her eyes were glassy, like bubbles of color, the ones they put in old porcelain dolls

Her mouth had two lines running down from the corners, and instead of her whole jaw moving when she talked, it just looked like that piece was moving. Like a ventriloquist's puppet. 

Her joints - her elbows, her wrists, her knees, her ankles, all her fingers and toes - all had ball joints, and as far as he could tell, she had wires flowing up into the sky and disappearing among the clouds. 

Her hair was almost wooden, flowing stiffly instead of gently as it usually did.

Instead of that young, carefree, spitfire of a girl that he loved, he saw a wooden and porcelain doll, blank and dead. 

But somehow, still so animate that she could capture his attention in an instant, and tug at his heart until it became painful.

Marinette - his beautiful, beautiful Marinette - had been akumatized, and now looked like a pretty, lifeless doll. 

He couldn't stop thinking about, all the differences this version of her had between the version that he knew was real. He hated it. This version of her made his skin crawl and his body ache unpleasantly, like waking up from a unusually jarring nightmare.

She walked so calmly, too; and Adrien thought that was the most unsettling thing about her. The strings were clearly controlling her, but she walked as smoothly as any other person, despite not really looking like one anymore.

It was shocking, really, at how many kids had come running up to greet her, happy to see the woman that they loved and loved them back, only to see the unsettling monstrosity that Hawkmoth had turned her into. 

Marionette's face contorted from the fake, too-happy grin on her face into a disturbing frown, her shiny blue eyes turning red with fury as her eyebrows, instead of wiggling like a normal persons, shifted in their entirety in a mock-angry look, her whole eyebrows having shifted up then tilted down to the inner edges of her eyes. Her mouth opened, and flamed spewed out from the opening, making the child shriek and run away.

What was he to do? It was easy to think that the other akumas Hawkmoth had made of his friends weren't really his friends anymore, but this one didn't even have a mask. In fact, she barely looked any different than she usually did. No, instead she looked... fake. Fake and chipping away, if the gaping black holes in her skin were any indication.

Air flew out from the holes in her skin, and an eerie song began to play out from her bones, as if sending out a warning to nearby Parisians, and to himself.

_He sent me away to find him a fortune,_

_A chest filled with diamonds and gold..._

_The house was awake, with shadows and monsters, the hallways - they echoed and groaned..._

_I sat alone in bed 'til the morning_

_I'm crying, "they're coming for me"_

_And I tried to hold these secrets inside me, my mind's like a deadly disease._

"Oh, princess..." He whispered, finally spotting the angry loneliness in her fish-like eyes, sucking in a breath when she turned her gaze on him and they locked eyes. She began to lunge at him, pulling out a long scythe in an almost cartoon-y way, seemingly out of nowhere, looking like she fully intended to impale him.

"Marinette, please stop, you're scaring me!" Cried a child from a group of kids nearby, who all had tears running down their faces, the brave little brunette who had spoken up in the front of the group, looking the most scared out of all of them.

Marionette paused mere centimeters in front of Adrien's unwavering features, holding up the scythe high over her head, ready to bring it down, until she heard the little girl. There was hesitation in those glassy eyes, and for a moment, Adrien thought,  _are you really still in there, princess?_

He watched as Marionette's head slowly turned, creaking and cracking as another piece of porcelain fell from her body and landed on the ground, shattering into more itty bitty pieces. Her jaw slacked, and she almost looked confused for a moment.

Another tune resounded from the new piece that had broken off from her neck.

_I can't help this awful energy_

"God damn right, you should be scared of me." The puppet snarled, retracting her scythe and beginning to walk over to the group of children, a pair of fake, feathery-cotton wings spread out behind her, looking blackened and worn with age.

And if Adrien used those wings as a cover to transform and try to incapacitate her, however ineffective, then really, who could blame him?

* * *

"Please, Marinette!" Chat Noir yelled to her as he dodged once more, then tackled Marinette to the ground, another piece chipping off of her.

_I'm well acquainted with villains that live in my bed,_

"Please, please, princess, just wait until Ladybug gets here, and then you can tell her where your akuma is, and all this pain will go away!" He yelled, desperately not wanting to fight this beautiful, wonderful woman.

But the laugh that came out of Marionette was cruel, condescending, and nothing like Marinette's beautiful and hearty giggles, and Chat felt his heart breaking all over again.

"You stupid cat, Ladybug isn't coming. She won't be coming now, and she won't be coming later!" She yelled and kicked him off, sending another chunk of porcelain smacking down onto the ground from her ankle.

_They beg me to write them so they'll never die when I'm dead._

Chat Noir stopped. He had heard that line before. Where had he heard that line before?

While stuck in his thought process, Marionette managed to get another hit in, punching him right in the back and causing him to stumble onto the ground, on his knees. He looked up when he heard a cracking sound.

Marionette had punched him so hard that her knuckles had broken clean off, and now the tune was flowing right in his ear.

_And I've grown familiar with the villains that live in my head_

_They beg me to write them so I'll never die when I'm dead_

Chat Noir just gaped at her as he realized just where he had heard that tune from before. 

His Lady was a lot of things, and sometimes, she could be very self-deprecating and depressing, but unlike most, she never, ever, let her negative emotions control her actions. Instead, she listened to music that she deemed relatable to her situation, or simply seemed more fantastical, more serious and unattached than her problem could ever be, and she seemed to be okay afterwards. This was one of those songs that just seemed too out there, one she had sung to herself one night on patrol.

Those four lines; it was those four lines that she kept repeating every couple of minutes, and even though it was mildly creepy, she seemed happy, so he hadn't commented.

And now, Chat could just stare at Marionette, wondering how the hell he had lived with this beautiful creature and yet never seemed to notice. 

"... My Lady?"

"Now you're getting it, you dumb cat."

She darted for another punch, but he rolled out of the way, and then he dropped his transformation. She went to land another punch, but just like before, after seeing Adrien, she stopped mere centimeters from his face. It was almost like she was hesitant to even lay a finger on Adrien.

"My love." Adrien whispered, almost helplessly. "I can't bare to see you like this." He whispered, reaching up, cupping her cold, smooth cheeks in his calloused hands. "Please, I hadn't ever meant to let you feel like you were alone... I even still tried to visit you as my dumb alter ego to make sure you had some resemblance of consistency in your life. I've been a complete wreck without you. I just want you back." 

Marionette seemed frozen at his words, and even began to relax. Soon she was slumped over in his arms, and water was leaking down her stony face in what he could only assume were meant to be tears. She slowly shifted so her hand was in front of him, and Adrien took notice of the blue and yellow charm bracelet around her wrist. Adrien choked back a sob, untying it from her wrist and crushing the bell under his fingers, watching the black butterfly flutter out from it.

All the patches in Marinette's skin healed and her woody hair turned back into real hair, her skin back into real skin, and her eyes back into her real eyes. For the first time he had seen her since the beginning of his afternoon, when he watched as she got akumatized in place of another civilian, she actually looked normal. Like a person. A real, breathing, wonderful person.

Tikki fluttered up from her bag and purified the akuma so Marinette didn't have to try and transform, the girl groaning with a headache as she leaned into Adrien's chest

When was the last time he had seen Marinette? Well, as Adrien, anyway.

He honestly couldn't remember.

He visited her plenty of times as Chat Noir after their break up, clinging to some non-existent threads of her affection. Their break up had been bad, really bad. They had been fighting for weeks. He was arguing with her, weary of her having to go out of the country for a business opportunity, really not wanting to be alone again, and she was so sure that she was going to only be gone for a couple weeks and she'd be fine and he'd be fine, but he just couldn't agree to it. It eventually turned into something more like yelling matches about each other's flaws and what they thought about the other's habits, what they thought was annoying about the other, and yelling about how dumb or naive they were. 

He was most certainly dumb and naive.

He thought she hadn't missed him. When he went over to see her as Chat Noir that very night they had called it off, she hadn't even looked like she'd been crying. Nope, she let him in, cheerily as ever, asked him if he wanted anything to eat, then offered to watch something on her computer. Which he had happily indulged in. Because not two hours after their break up he had already been regretting everything and missing her so desperately that it was tearing him apart.

They had been apart for nearly six months now, and their friends even scheduled stuff around the two of them so they didn't have to see each other.

So now, here he was, laying in the middle of the street with a tired, lonely looking Marinette in his lap, holding her head like she had some sort of migraine. The city was repaired by the shower of ladybugs that Tikki sent out, and after she hid, people began to come out from their hiding spots, looking over.

All their friends from lycee and university were there, the ones who had gone out of their way to make sure the two didn't run into one another, and they were staring in disbelief at the small moment of affection they were having.

Marinette eventually looked up at him, her eyes seemingly covered in a layer of grey that showed just how truly tired she was. "Nnngghh... Chat?" She asked, reaching one hand out and touching his face, staring at him hopefully.

"Yeah, princess?"

"I'm sorry." She whispered, closing her eyes and wincing again. "I guess I... I guess I didn't realize how truly horrifying it is to feel completely alone. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"No, my lady, I'm sorry. It was a big opportunity, but I wanted to keep you all to myself. I was scared of losing you, like I did my father, but then... but then you really did go away, and I found that I was the one crawling back to you." He whispered, leaning down and gently pressing his forehead to hers, closing his eyes.

Marinette let out a little giggle, a sound he would have never imagined he would have been so relieved to hear after that awful cackle that Marionette gave him. "I guess we're both to blame, Kitty." She whispered, sliding her hand up from his cheek to into his hair, scritching just the right spot to make him melt into her, which triggered more giggling. 

"Yeah." He agreed mindlessly, then felt her lips press against his in a soft but searing, relieving, cleansing kiss. He felt all of the stress and the worry just float off of his chest, becoming fresh and bright again. 

He had missed her so much. So, so much. He missed cuddling with her in bed, left with nothing on but their undies after deciding they didn't want that tonight. He missed her good morning kisses with her god-awful morning breath and her messy hair. He missed her radiant smiles when he came home from work and the wicked grins she got went she had a plan. He missed her petting him, petting him over just like one would with a kitten, making him purr and wiggle until he found a spot he liked and just got to bask in her affection. He missed the little smiles she gave him when he got her fresh coffee or cocoa in the middle of the night while she was designing or sewing. He missed her making him stay up in bed with her, her head in his lap as she complained angrily about how stupid her coworkers and boss were, before drowning him in compliments and affection like she hadn't just been ranting like a fed up akuma.

He missed everything about her, about being with her, and how she decided to show him her love. She indulged him, something she knew he had never gotten to do before, and was almost overly eager to do so. She shared things with him, and was even okay with sharing her life with him before their break up.

And it was at that moment, when Marinette pulled away and smiled so brightly at him, that he looked at her hand, gasping when he saw the ring he had given her. 

It was a simple ring, a golden band with their initials signed on it, and she looked almost embarrassed about him having caught her still wearing it. He lifted his own hand, laced their fingers together, and let her feel the clink of metal from around his own finger. Her cheeks flushed red and a breathtaking smile spread across her lips, just staring at him silently.

"Do you... think we could start over?"

"How about we start where we left off?" She asked, squeezing his hand. "Like loading a save, instead of starting a new game." She whispered, biting her lip.

"You'd really let me do that?"

"It's our game... we get to be in control. Of course I'm okay with it." She whispered, pressing her forehead to his and letting her nose bump his gently. "But it is our game... we do this as a team, mon chaton. We don't have to load that save if you don't want to."

"No. I want to. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and only you, and I want to look into your eyes on the day I die and not have a single regret, because I will have gotten to love you, and that's the best thing that could have ever happened to me."


	6. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Loving you was dumb, dark and cheap_   
>  _Loving you still takes shots at me_   
>  _Found loving you was sunshine, but then it poured_   
>  _And I lost so much more than my senses_   
>  _'Cause loving you had consequences_

Marinette laid in bed, staring at the pictures sprawled out in front of her, a sigh escaping her for the twentieth time that hour. She was starting to wrinkle; she had crows feet around her eyes from smiling too much, her skin was starting to darken a little with age, and her hands looked a little more bony than they used to. She still looked youthful, sure, but she imagined that the stress from her childhood was a big factor as to why she was getting crows feet and grey hair when she was only forty-four.

It had been nearly a decade, but found that even time couldn't heal the large hole in her heart as she looked at the photos spread out on the bed.

The twenty-second of August was a day she would probably never forget, no matter how hard she tried. It was always about a week before she started feeling that familiar weight in her chest, the heaviness of her loss, and sometimes looking at her children made the weight worse, sometimes it made it infinitely better.

Alya was so kind, always taking her children from her today so she could mourn in peace. Chloe would tell them silly stories of the superheroes that used to parade throughout Paris, beating off the bad guy. The superheroes that Emma barely remembered and Hugo was too young to comprehend when they were still around. Now, Emma was thirteen and Hugo was eleven, and they loved the stories of Ladybug and Chat Noir and how they saved the world from Hawkmoth's wrath. 

But hearing them talk so excitedly about her alter ego made her lament her past, and made the hole their father had left just a bit bigger with every passing year.

The twenty-second of August was a momentous day that all of Paris would celebrate as the day that Hawkmoth was defeated and arrested once and for all. But for Marinette, for Ladybug, it was a day of mourning. She would be going out soon, like she did every year, swinging over the rooftops of Paris until she got to Chat Noir's favorite place, the Eiffel Tower, where her beloved husband was laid to rest, permanently. 

They arrested Hawkmoth on that day, yes, but Hawkmoth had inflicted damage on Chat Noir that simply couldn't be healed. Out in the middle of main square, out for the whole of Paris to see, she had watched as his transformation ran out and had to smell the blood seeping from his body, feel the rain beating down on her like dead weight, had to hold the love of her life as he passed away, leaving her with a three-year-old and a one-year-old who would grow up without him, without their father. She had seen the look on Hawkmoth's face when he saw just who he had killed, and had seen the look on his face when she let out that unholy scream of rage, beating Hawkmoth down to his knees to get revenge for her lost lover.

The memories were too much, and no one questioned Ladybug whenever she went to the grave and just laid there for a few hours and cried, and cried, and cried.

No therapist or medicine helped her pain. She was empty for months, the only love she had left to give was to her children, who helped her get over the pain. But sometimes, she looked at Emma's short hair and felt her heart stop, or looked into Hugo's painfully green eyes and started sobbing. She was so much better than when it first happened, but losing him was the worst thing that could have happened to poor Marinette.

Her life had been beautiful and perfect until that fight, but her father-in-law had shattered it all into pieces, and she often found herself disgusted to have to consider him family.

Because that cold man was nothing like his son.

The son that had brought so much light into her life, including two beautiful little stars that looked up to who their father had once been, and aspired to be who their mother continued to be despite her grief.

That man deserved none of the love those children could give. Her children were too good for a man who killed his own son in his attempt to get his wife back, and she would not become like him.


	7. Eastside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _We can do anything if we put our minds to it_   
>  _Take your whole life then you put a line through it_   
>  _My love is yours if you're willing to take it_   
>  _Give me your heart 'cause I ain't gonna break it_   
>  _So come away, starting today_   
>  _Start a new life, together in a different place_   
>  _We know that love is how these ideas came to be_   
>  _So baby, run away, away with me_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I originally wrote this in a google doc, and it was like... 6.5 pages on Times New Roman 11 point font, and I was really shocked about that when I got done and saw the page count, because I didn't really think I wrote that much? I mean, 11 pt font already kind of small, but Times New Roman is a tiny font. I was a little surprised. But I really like this chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> Also, as a sort of like... disclaimer thingy, none of these works are like... attached to each other in anyway, except for the two for "Back to You" by Selena Gomez. They're all separate pieces.

Marinette sighed as she leaned against the wall, sliding down to the floor, her sketchbook clutched tightly to her chest. She was almost too aware of the earrings in her ears, and even though she had worn them for ten years and counting, she couldn’t ever remember them making her ears ache the way they did.

Her mind flooded with blurry visions of messy blonde hair with black leather ears buried in the mop of gold.

She hadn’t seen him in so long, and thinking about him made her heart ache in a way she never thought he would cause.

This sketch book, in particular, was _filled_ with drawings and rough sketches of him. All in the corners of the pages were little cats and doodles of his face, some pages were entirely dedicated to his too-skinny figure, and others had drawings of the millions of expressions that he displayed, some of them she couldn’t even look at without getting flustered, and she couldn’t believe she had actually _drawn_ them.

She missed him, she was very aware of that fact. She missed him and it kept getting worse and worse each passing day. She wanted to see him, but Ladybug and Chat Noir haven’t been reported running around since the arrest of Hawkmoth on the grounds of him being a national terrorist nearly three years ago.

And her life has been so _painfully_ normal since then.

Alya had quieted down about Ladybug but occasionally still gushed about the heroine, and sometimes she would see adults telling their children about Ladybug and Chat Noir. It felt good, it honestly did, and the adults seemed to love it when Marinette walked up to them and would give them detailed interactions and stories about the duo and their friends.

But it didn’t matter how many kids days she brightened, it didn’t matter how many times she bought or made merch for her kitty, it didn’t matter who she took home with her. She couldn’t get him out of her head and it was driving her insane.

She hadn’t seen him in three years. Would he look different? Would he be more handsome, possibly? Would he look more roguish, or would he still be clean cut? Would he still have that smirk that made her knees feel weak, or had that softened since she last saw him?

She gripped her sketchbook tighter for a moment before looking around her, making sure no one could see her in this alley before muttering the spell under her breath, shivering in pure delight as the familiar magic flooded over her skin and soaked into her bones.

She stood, slinging her yo-yo up and letting it pull her up onto the building, then began to run. Run, run, run. It made her feel so free to dart across rooftops, swing across wide streets, let her feel the wind in her hair.

She tossed her bandalore across the street and let herself touch ground, running with it attached to the spire, and several Parisians gasped and started fumbling for their phones. She swung up and tossed herself nearly fifty feet in the air, then willed her wings into existence once more. She felt them pop out from her short jacket and she let herself start falling to the ground head-first, activating her wings at the last second and flying up in a spiral across the street, then folded them back, swinging herself away again.

The wind in her short hair, chilling her ears and her neck, made her feel so _alive_. She hadn’t felt this free since she was a teenager who didn’t know what the hell she was doing or where she was going. She didn’t know where she was going now, but she did know what she was doing. Out of all the things she was unsure about in her life, all the things she was nervous she would mess up, everything that could hurt or ensure her chances, being Ladybug was something she knew, something she was _good_ at. She was comfortable being Ladybug, and there were no questions, being Ladybug. She knew what everything did, knew the rules of each device and power, knew how to work everything in her favor. She couldn’t predict or control anything in her civilian life, but being Ladybug had little to no expectations. She was just there to make people feel safe, and her being happy would let everyone know that all was right in the world.

Even if, in her world, not everything was right.

And as Ladybug swung, she landed right in front of a moving car on accident, and she heard it screech to a halt behind her. She wasn’t going to say anything, but she turned her head as she heard a door open. She wondered if they were going to yell at her, but when she saw who had gotten out, she felt her heart get stuck in her throat.

Adrien had gotten out and was staring right at her, his jaw slightly slack, his eyes wide and staring at her with a deep sort of admiration that she couldn’t comprehend.

She had almost forgotten about Adrien. She still loved him, even if her love for him was much tamer, much different than it used to be. Now the person she would probably stumble around was Chat, but she didn’t do it that often around Adrien anymore.

He was staring at her in a way she could only have dreamed of when she was a teenager. But it wasn’t for her, not really. It was for Ladybug. A lot of people looked at her like that.

“Ladybug.” He whispered, his voice sounding a little breathy, and Marinette could feel her face heating up already. She started swinging her yo-yo in a circle, smiling gently at him as she turned toward him, her other arms going across her body to grip her bicep.

“Hello there, Adrien.” She said simply, staring at him, studying him, wondering absently if he would recognize her at all. She knew he wouldn’t, the magic kept him from doing so, but it was still an amusing thought.

“You’re back.” He murmured, fidgeting, not seeming to really know what to do with his hands, something that almost made her giggle.

“I needed some fresh air to get something out of my head, so I put on a face that doesn’t have any expectations attached to it, one that people wouldn’t be calling for help with something mundane like work.” She giggled, glancing around and finding herself a place to throw her yo-yo. But, for now, she tossed it up to the arch above them and let herself float up, putting the bottoms of her feet together as she slowly floated upwards, stopping at one point and just smiling at him.

“Say, Adrien, you’re a friend of Chat’s, aren’t you?”

Adrien blinked in surprise and opened and closed his mouth for a moment before nodding just a bit dumbly, which made her smile.

“If you can, mind telling him to meet at our old spot, on the east side? I need to…” She briefly considered her options. She could just tell Adrien that she needed to talk to Chat, but how would Chat take that? He might start assuming stuff wildly without any context. And it was Adrien. Even if he didn’t know they were very good friends, she still trusted him.

“I really, really want to see him. I miss him a lot. You don’t mind, right?” She smiled and let herself be pulled up the rest of the way when he shook his head, then started to hop away towards Notre Dame.

 

Notre Dame was so pretty at sunset, Marinette decided for probably the thousandth time. She had seen it so many times before but never got tired of it.

She hadn’t even been at Notre Dame for ten minutes when she heard feet land a few feet behind her, and she felt a pleasant shiver run up her spine. She knew who it was, she didn’t need to look to know it was him. The gentle tap of his landing, along with the light _clink_ from the steel toes of his boots, everything she knew just by pure instinct. It was Chat, and knowing he was still around made her feel infinitely lighter.

He didn’t even finish saying her nickname before she was up and on him, fluttering up and clinging onto his chest, burying her face in his neck, her feet floating above the ground as she pulled him to her.

Chat began to laugh, though, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her a little in return. “If I had known you missed me this much, my Lady, I would have tried to find you sooner.”

“Of course I missed you, you dumb cat.” She mumbled and ran her fingers through his hair and nuzzling against him tightly before pulling away to actually get a good look at him.

 _He’s still all clean cut and business_ , her mind supplied upon seeing his cheeks were soft and bare, unlike the times when he’d come onto patrol with some stubble, making him look rough and handsome, more like a man than a boy. But her thoughts made her giggle. He still had that ridiculous, messy hair, and his eyes were still the same. She almost wish they had changed, so she could be disappointed that he wasn’t the same person and she was in love with some different, past version of him. But no, it was still Chat. It was still her silly kitty, and it made her heart ache pleasantly to see him after all this time.

“Is there something you wanted to talk about, my lady?” He asked after a moment of the two of them just taking each other in.

She bit her lip. Should she tell him? No, she… she shouldn’t, right? That was certainly an odd way to start off a meeting after they hadn’t seen each other in three years, but she suddenly found herself very antsy, wanting to tell him anything and everything. But she couldn’t. Not while she kept herself scarce with him.

Maybe she should start there.

“Kitty.” She whispered finally, letting herself land on the rooftop and stare at him. He just tilted his head in response, and she sighed heavily.

“I’m sorry. This is really abrupt. But, I just… I miss you too much.” She murmured, looking down, rubbing her ankle with her foot.

Chat Noir stared at her curiously, tilting his head again. “My Lady?”

“I mean, it’s _really_ bad. Like I have sketches of you _all over_ each and every sketchbook I own except from the ones from high school.”

Chat Noir began to blush and he snickered a little. “I didn’t know you had sketchbooks?”

“Oh, right, never told you my occupation, identities- and stuff.” She laughed nervously, blushing a bit. “I’m a fashion designer.”

Chat blinked in surprise, studying her for a moment before furrowing his brow. “Bugaboo, where are you going with this?”

“I want to tell you who I am.”

“I- wait, _what?”_

Ladybug began to blush furiously and looked away, fidgeting further. “I know! I know, I’m sorry. I always told you that no, we can’t, but I figured… I don’t know, Hawkmoth isn’t around anymore, obviously, and I’ve just been missing you and hurting for these past three years or so that we haven’t seen each other and I just-” Ladybug sucked in a breath for a moment then let it back out, looking up at him with shining eyes. “I want you back in my life, Chaton. I really, really, really do.”

It was at that moment that Ladybug’s transformation dropped, leaving just plain old Marinette in front of him, and she watched as his eyes went wide and his jaw dropped, and Marinette found herself giggling.

“ _Princess?_ ”

“Surprise?” She smiled and moved closer to him, biting her lip as she stared at him, and he stared back. She felt exposed, but in a good way. It felt _good_ to have his eyes on her, looking at her like that. It made her stomach do flips and her mind scream with joy, to have him look at her, _Marinette_ , with such reverence and understanding. It felt so fucking  _good_.

“Surprise? I think surprise is a bit of an understatement.” He chuckled, reaching a hand up to touch her but then put it back down. “I’ve always respected and admired you, princess, but this is… this is a lot to take in.” He chuckled and put his hand over his eyes. “How am I supposed to cope with this? You just like, decided to smash two very opposing forces in my head together and now I’m like, spiralling.”

“What do you mean by that, kitty?”

Chat looked at her, looked her over slowly, dragging his eyes up and down her body for a moment, then locked eyes with her. “Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?”

Marinette could feel her face burning. “Maybe at some point or another. I may not have been paying attention, or brushed it off.”

“Well, I’ve always thought you were beautiful. I’ve always thought you were extremely beautiful, actually, and there have been times where I’ve seen you, with and without the mask, where I’ve stopped dead in my tracks and just felt myself stare. For a very long time I’ve had issues with my love for Ladybug and my inherent affections for Marinette. I thought you were two separate people, and the idea that you two are the same is like someone going _duh, you idiot, of course it’s her_ and someone else going _holy shit, holy shit, hOLY SHIT I can’t believe it’s her_.”

Marinette began to laugh, stepping away a little, laughing out loudly, happily, her voice ringing out across the roof of Notre Dame. Chat was grinning from ear to ear as she laughed, and only continued after she had calmed down.

“So, now I’m faced with a minor dilemma. Because I do know you as a civilian… and I guess this really just depends on how well you take knowing who I am. Saying you miss me will be a little amusing after you know, since we see each other all the time.”

“It’s okay, kitty. I might freak out a little bit, you know, because I’ll… know… but I’ll get past it. I know I will. Because above everything else, I want you in my life and for me to know you’re there, in whatever form you take.” She reached out and cupped his face in her hands and ran her thumbs over his jaw, feeling the beginning of a stubble that would probably be there in full force in the morning.

Chat Noir was staring at her with wide eyes, like he couldn’t believe anything that she was saying to him, then sagged a little. He rubbed his face against one of her hands, his tail thrashing behind him. “What did I even do to deserve someone like you, m’lady?” He asked her, a purr kicking up in his chest and making her gasp and giggle. She just shrugged to his question, not sure how to answer to something like that.

He opened his mouth to call off his transformation, then hesitated, looking down at her. She was staring at him expectantly, a shine in her eyes that he didn’t recognize.

“Hey, Princess?”

“Yeah?”

“Why… do you want to let me in now? After all these years of saying no?”

Marinette paused, thinking about this for a moment, then smiled at him. “Can I vent to you a little? For old times’ sake?”

“Yes, but I don’t see how-”

“Well, you see, Chat, I’ve had this minor problem for a really long time. Ever since I was in college, there has been this boy. This boy, well… I think he really likes me. That wouldn’t really be a problem if I haven’t had a crush on this other boy I met on the same day. But the boy I like doesn’t like me like that, and I didn’t like the boy who _does_ like me like that.” She shrugged. “And, well, I’ve just been sort of telling myself for this past decade or so that I just needed to be patient. This boy may love me and be everything I need in life, but this other boy is the one I want, and I want to wait for him. Recently though, I haven’t really seen the boy that loves me. The one that’s always been there for me, who encourages me to be the best me I can be, the one I can throw my arms around and complain about anything and everything and he would just _take it_. He is an amazing person and the more and more I thought about him, the more and more I missed him, and, well, I thought… what if he _was_ that ‘other boy,’ instead? Would it really be so terrible?” She glanced down at their feet, then back up at him, staring at him through her lashes, then shifted uncomfortably. “And, no. I thought… it wasn’t so terrible. It was actually pretty wonderful.

“It was something I hadn’t realized I had wanted pretty badly. And, eventually, that boy replaced the other one in my heart so completely that I found myself doodling his name sake in the corners of my pages, sketching him as the model for my new design, drawing that damn smirk that I hadn’t seen in way too long for me to still remember it.” She snorted softly and closed her eyes. “So… here I am, telling that boy how much I miss him and want to be around him all the time. Because I may like that other boy, but he just isn’t the same.”

She finally looked up at him, and he had the biggest kitten eyes she had ever seen on him, and she began to giggle loudly, touching his face again and leaning up, lightly rubbing her nose against his. He purred and returned the affection a little, closing his eyes for a moment and relaxing.

When they pulled back, he glanced off to the side, then back at her. “Who was this boy you liked? I remember you mentioning him a couple times, but, you know, you were vague.”

“Oh. I liked Adrien Agreste.”

Chat Noir’s eyes widened before he began to sputter and choke. Marinette rose a brow at him but just reached out and began rubbing his back gently, watching him as he coughed and hit his chest, getting his composure back slowly but surely.

“Y-Yeah? What ever did he do to catch your eye?” He grinned uneasily. “See a particular ad and think how cute he is?” He snickered a bit, and Marinette tilted her head curiously as the strange… cynicism in his voice.

“No. He gave me his umbrella.”

“What?”

Chat’s eyes had gone wide, and his voice was little more than a whisper. He was staring at her like she had just brought out a whole package of catnip and she wondered what that was all about.

“It’s… dumb. I thought he had put gum on my seat on that first day, when it was actually Chloe. It was the same day me and you became superheroes, actually. I had been so unsure of myself. You know, I almost gave the Ladybug Miraculous to Alya, but I saw her in trouble and I just… I knew it had to be me, and you helped a lot, and convinced me to keep being Ladybug. I finally got back to school after that Akuma had been dealt with, and Adrien… he apologized in the most sincere way I had ever heard anyone apologize, and then, in the face of a horrific storm, he offered me his umbrella. He was willing to give up his only shelter from the storm to a girl he didn’t know and probably didn’t really care about, all just to apologize for a misunderstanding.”

She blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. “He was so kind, and I had never experienced kindness like that in my whole life unless it was from my parents. I guess the worst part of this is that he _continued_ to be so, so kind to me, and I just…” Marinette hugged herself and shivered. “It made me feel good about myself. I would always stutter and stumble over myself around him, and he would just wait until I was done before responding like I had just been perfectly coherent. I swear my tongue spoke a whole new language around him that included me telling him how hot I thought he was in about two dozen ways before I got control of myself again.” She snorted.

“But… I have a feeling.” She looked up at him. “If he hadn’t been there at that exact moment, and shown me that bit of kindness, I probably… I probably would have fallen for you a long, long time ago.” She smiled softly, gripping her own arms.

Chat was just staring at her, looking dumbstruck and a bit like someone had just slapped him over the head with something he thought he would have known, then shook his head quickly, his eyes shining with something she didn’t recognize. She felt her breath get caught. The reflection of the sunset, all the bright, multitude of colors shining in his green eyes made her knees feel weak, and the idea of getting to see those eyes every day of her life made her train of thoughts come to a screeching halt and just sit there.

“Marinette, I didn’t know you, but I did care about you and your opinion of me, more than I had ever cared about anyone’s opinion of me, and I still kind of do since you were one of my very first friends. I was just some teenage heart throb or whatever the fuck, but you still treated me like was just some everyday teenager that did something stupid, and that meant a lot to me. You didn’t instantly like me just because I was handsome and rich, in fact you didn’t like me because you thought I was just like Chloe. So I wanted to apologize to you, and I had never really minded the rain.” Chat smiled at Marinette’s confused look, who hesitated, then opened her mouth.

“Chat… what in the world are you talking about?”

“Princess, I’m really, really glad it was you.” Chat called off his transformation and in a flash of green, Adrien was standing in front of her, his hair still a little ruffled, looking like he had run against the wind to get there. Marinette’s mind came to a second screeching fucking halt and her jaw went slack.

“Oh my god.”

“Hi to you too.”

“Oh my fucking god.”

“Marinette?”

“What the actual shit.”

“Was that a good what the shit or a bad one? I have a hard time telling with you sometimes.”

“You did NOT just let me confess my undying love for you twice in one sitting.”

“Maybe?”

“Chat I swear to god-”

“Ah, I really missed hearing that.”

“I am SO going to murder you and bring you back to life if you don’t apologize right now.”

“I think I’m willing to take my- Mmmf!”

Adrien was cut off by a soft pair of lips covering his own, and he purred on pure instinct, his eyes fluttering shut as he responded in kind. He grabbed her thin waist and pulled her close to him, his mind settled solely on this angel of a woman in front of him.

 

When she did finally pull away, Adrien felt dizzy, complete starstruck in away that made him simply not care that he had literally come here on her request completely unprompted and probably missed a whole photoshoot.

“If that’s what it’s like to be murdered, then please murder me everyday until I die.”

Marinette burst out laughing at him, laying her forehead on his shoulder and sighing peacefully as darkness settled around them. She was perfectly content right here, with the love of her life in her arms, knowing that it was all going to be okay.


	8. New Rules (They Don't Work)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Wrote it down and read it out_   
>  _Hopin' it would save me_   
>  _My love, he makes me feel like nobody else_   
>  _But my love, he doesn't love me_   
>  _So I tell myself, I tell myself_

_"Remember, we're only doing this to relieve some tension, and to help us get over them." Marinette said sternly as Chat closed in on her, pressing her to the wall, and making her heartbeat pick up._

_"I know princess. We already went over this several times." He murmured and lifted her chin gently, staring into her eyes. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to."_

_"No, I... I want to..." Marinette felt her breath leave her at the sight of his piercing green eyes, and then her eyes were closed and his lips were on hers and she could have sworn she was melting._

* * *

"Aaaaand there!" Alya smiled and lifted her pencil from the note, ripping it from the notebook, then grabbed the magnet and attached the note to her fridge. "My full-proof plan for helping Mari get over Chat Noir is  _go_!"

Marinette giggled. "Thanks, Alya." She said and slid from her perch on her bar stool and looked at the note curiously. 

  1. Don't pick up the phone, he's only calling 'cause he's lonely
  2. Don't let him in, you'll have to kick him out again
  3. **Don't** be his friend.



Marinette looked at it for a moment before grabbing the note and writing down something extra on it, then putting it back.

  1. Don't pick up the phone, he's only calling 'cause he's lonely
  2. Don't let him in, you'll have to kick him out again
  3. **Don't**  be his friend, you know you're gonna wake up in his bed in the morning



> _If you're under him, you're not getting over him!_

Alya nodded and grinned. "Hey, this is kind of catchy."

Marinette rolled her eyes and smiled, messing with her braid, and Alya looked at her friend.

She honestly didn't blame Chat Noir for his choice of civilian to mess with. Marinette was beautiful, typical baker's daughter material. Braided pigtails that didn't even fall to her shoulder that she was very prone to braiding and unbraiding randomly, she had a beautiful face with baby cheeks and a button nose, with these crystal clear blue eyes and a bunch of freckles on said cheeks and nose, as well as other places like her shoulders, accenting her hips as they flew up to her waist, and a bunch of freckles that danced across her calves that she always hated for some reason.

Marinette was pretty when they were in college, but now that they were in the later bit of university, Marinette had really grown into her features, both mentally and physically. She was flipping gorgeous. Again, Alya didn't blame him for his choice of civilian, but Marinette was apparently regretting it even though she said he was sweet and brought her gifts and even mentioned offhandedly that the sex was great one time in those classic Marinette slips.

"Okay, can I know why we're trying to get over a superhero again?"

Marinette groaned and walked around, sitting at her perch on the barstool again. "We've already been over this several times, Alya."

"Yeah, but I just want to make sure I got everything."

"You  _did_ get everything. You even took a video for later review." Marienette snorted. "You just want to hear it from my mouth again."

Alya grinned and leaned over the counter, her chin in her hands.

Marinette sighed. "Okay, so, it started with just this little deal thing, it wasn't supposed to go farther than that."

"The one where you were trying to get over Adrien?"

"Yeah. It was just supposed to be make-out and cuddle sessions, honest! But, somehow that escalated to sex, like, really nice sex, then from there it somehow escalated to him bringing me presents and stuff, and I just-" Marinette shook her head and ducked down a little, her braids falling in front of her.

"And this is a problem...  _why?_ _"_

"Alya! I still love Adrien! And he likes Ladybug! The whole reason we started this was because I was trying to get over Adrien and he was trying to get over Ladybug. Because he likes her, but Ladybug doesn't  _want_ him." Ladybug did, in fact, want Chat. She wanted him  _really_ badly, not that  _he_ was ever going to find that out. "He doesn't love me!"

"Okay, girl, I don't think you're thinking about this rationally." Alya placed her hand over Marinette's, smiling in a comforting way towards her friend. "Does he make you feel good? Emotionally, mentally, and physically?"

Marinette lifted her head and looked at her friend, staring at her for a moment. Memories of late night whispering and touching and laughter filled her mind, and she felt her face grow hot. She groaned again. 

"He makes me feel like a fucking  _queen_ , Alya." She moaned and tossed her head back, putting her free arm over her eyes. "He treats me like I'm as fragile as glass one second, and then the next, he's just-" Marinette shivered from head to toe, holding back a sob. "Then it's like someone is treating me like I'm a woman for once in my life. I still have _hickeys_ from a week ago, Alya. You can only be treated like that so many times before it starts going to your head. I tried having sex with someone else, one of the other college boys. I really, really did. But I was disinterested the second he put his hands on my hips and pulled me to him like I was some  _doll_. I think he's ruined me."

Alya began to giggle at her friend. "And emotionally and mentally?"

Marinette blushed and sighed. "He brings me all these presents, Alya. Sometimes it's just food or sweets or something like that, sometimes its my  _favorite sweets from maman and papa's bakery_ , but then he brings over things like stuff I mentioned really liking or wanting when we're online shopping and even though I tell him I don't want it or didn't need it, he goes and hides it somewhere in the apartment where he  _knows_ I'll find it, with some dorky, cute, stupid note and I just- UGH!" She threw her arm out, careful to keep her other hand under Alya's. It was about the greatest comfort she had right now.

"And what about the aftersex? Does he make you feel okay afterwards?"

Marinette ran her fingers through her hair a little. "Both of us are wired after sex. We're both wide awake and Chat agrees that it's annoying. So we sit up and watch stupid movies and stupid tv shows and we start talking and clowning and flirting and shopping and talking and eating and sometimes start drinking to force ourselves to pass out." She sighed. "It's like it doesn't matter that we're just screwing each other like rabbits, he's still my friend and its first priority to make me feel comfortable and make sure I'm happy." She turned around in her seat and looked at Alya upside down, her eyes big. "Did you know his favorite color is blue? Because I didn't, and he told me the other night while we were debating the logistics of a superhero costume and whether or not it was cringe-worthy, and I asked him why, and he didn't answer me, and it's been bugging me."

"Did you think it would be red?"

"For Ladybug?"

The two nodded in agreement before Alya started up again.

"So, let me ask this again... this is a problem  _why?"_

"Because, Alya!" Marinette cried and sat up. "I still love Adrien! And he still loves Ladybug! I'm just the friend with benefits, I can't just make him believe I like him when I-" Marinette froze when her phone buzzed and 'Caramelldansen' starting blasting throughout her living room, and she groaned. "Speak of the fucking Devil and he shall call!" Marinette yelled and got up.

The girl crossed the living room and picked up her phone, looking at her caller ID. The picture on her phone was a selfie of them, with her laughing and him making this ridiculous face at the camera. It was her favorite of them, because yes, she had a favorite, and she was pretty sure she had a hard copy of this in her night stand drawer that may or may not be wrinkled from her cuddling with it.

She looked up from the phone to look at Alya, who was shaking her head quickly, before Marinette cringed and held her phone away from her, and hit answer. As soon as she did, Alya shot up and snatched her phone, putting it on speaker.

"Hey, princess!" Came his cheerful chip, and Marinette could already feel her knees going weak.

"Hello, Chat Noir." Alya grinned and looked at her friend. There was a pause.

"... Alya?"

"Bingo! Hey, Chat, I have a  _very_ important question for you."

"Should I be scared?"

"Nah! Nah, it's not something that's going on the Ladyblog, trust me. Marinette's in the shower right now so she won't hear us." Marinette's eyes widened in realization and she started mouthing  _no_ to her friend over and over.

"Considering that sounded kind of mildly threatening I'm assuming this is about Marinette?"

"Yep! So, anyway, my question; what are your feelings for Marinette? And don't worry, I'm asking as her best friend, not a reporter."

"I think that's worse." Chat snorted, then paused. "... my feelings for princess?" He asked once more but got no answer.

There was another pause, and panic rose in Marinette's chest. She started assuming the worst; that she was just a tool to get off, that he was only bringing her all these presents to make sure she keeped liking him, that-

She wasn't expecting that wistful, lovesick sigh from the other side of the phone.

"As much as I would love to tell you, and not wallow in my own personal hell of secrets, Alya... that's something I would prefer to tell Marinette first. She deserves to hear it from me, face-to-face. I don't think she would be very happy if her best friend knew before her, not to mention you probably would tell her before I got to even if I told you to keep it a secret."

Alya blinked in surprise before looking to her friend and mouthing  _do you talk about him with me? Why does he know me this well?_ before he started talking again.

"Is Marinette out of the shower yet?"

Marinette panicked again and snatched her phone from her best friend. "I-I'm here, Chaton!" She said, her voice a little too high as she walked to the center of her living room. She could practically hear the smile form on his face.

"Hey, Princess."

"H-Hello, minou, wh-what's up?"

"How are you?"

Marinette blushed and she shivered a little, then began to smile. "I'm great, Kitty. Thanks for asking."

"Of course, princess. Can I come over again?"

Marinette inhaled sharply and looked at the floor-to-ceiling windows in her living room, and she could practically watch as Chat Noir swooped in from the streets of Paris, threw the doors open with some stupidly sweet gift in hand, walking in and sweeping her off her feet once more, taking her to a world where homework and portfolio designs didn't exist, a place where her vision was filled with golden hair and green eyes and her hearing was overloaded with praises and grunts of her name. She felt her knees go weak before completely giving in, and she was breathing out her answer before she even had time to think rationally about this.

"Yes."

"Thank you." She heard his smile get wider. "I have a special treat for you, princess."

Marinette snorted. "You always have a special treat for me, mon minou."

Chat laughed. "Not  _that_ kind of treat!" He laughed, and Marinette felt her heart lift up into the clouds. "I have a present for you."

"You  _always_ have presents for me! What in the hell did you buy me?"

Chat chuckled a little. "I didn't buy you anything, princess."

Marinette felt confusion wash over, and she furrowed her brow. She stared at her phone for a moment, shifting to get more comfortable.

"Well, that's a bit of a lie - I did get you some flowers, but that isn't the treat."

Marinette blinked. "Then what-"

"See you then, princess!" He called, and then he hung up.

Marinette blinked before dropping her hands to her lap, looking over to the window and feeling her heart flutter again.

Alya chuckled a bit. "You got it bad, girl."

Marinette began to blush, looking behind her at her friend and biting her lip. "Is it really that obvious?"

"More obvious than a literal elephant in the room." Alya grinned. "But I can tell you that he has it just as bad?"

"How do you figure?"

Alya rolled her eyes, leaning over the couch. "You have got to be kidding me, girl! Did you not hear how lovesick that sigh was? Or how about the fact he wanted to tell you how he feels to your face? Or, actually, that he felt bad about telling me first and not you, and knew I would tell you anyway?" Alya watched as Marinette looked to her lap, adding everything up in her head. "That boy is in love with you, Marinette, and I say you're just wasting time."

"B-But..."

Alya sighed. "Look, I helped you write your silly rules, not that you're following them, and you'll have company over at who knows when. I gotta go. Love ya!" Alya called, grabbing her bag and walking out of the apartment.

Leaving Marinette on the floor, wondering what the hell she had just gotten herself into.

* * *

This was okay! This was definitely okay! Marinette  _definitely_ wasn't freaking out! Nope, not at all. She was only pacing because she was feeling antsy, waiting for her 'special treat' or whatever Chat was bringing her.

That was definitely not it.

Tikki had given up on comforting her a while ago and was hiding out in her house while Marinette paced, waiting for Chat to pop onto her balcony with some ridiculous amount of flowers or something.

But then there was a knock at her door, and Marinette furrowed her brow in confusion. She looked to her balcony, but then decided, Chat would notice she was at the door talking to someone, and he would hide. Yeah, this would be alright.

A second knock came. "Coming!" Marinette called and tugged on one of her pigtails a little for good luck, then took in a deep breath, walking over to the door. As soon as the door opened, a nice but not overdone bouquet of flowers was shoved in her face. She blinked, then registered what she was looking at, and began to blush as she realized who she had opened the door to. 

"Ch-Chat!" She cried before giggling and taking the bouquet from him, not noticing that when her hand brushed over his, it wasn't covered in leather. "You know you didn't have to come in through the front door - you... never do, actually. You could have just come in through the balcony as always." She murmured and leaned down, sniffing the flowers with a happy hum.

"Yes, but that wouldn't work for this kind of surprise, princess." He said and Marinette shivered happily at having his voice so close to her, in person. 

"You still haven't told me what-" Marinette looked up as she talked but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a man she didn't recognize. She stared, her eyes locking on endless green eyes with a strand of ruffled blonde hair falling in front of his face. It took her a whole minute to realize that she knew the man in front of her, but not as Chat. No, this was a face she recognized as someone who had been in her classes for years in college, and one she saw all the time during passing, went out to lunches with, talked to with a whole bunch now that she had someone helping her vent her " _frustrations_." He even knew about Chat's visits, even if he didn't know the details of how those "visits" went.

"A-A-Adrien?!" She squealed and almost dropped the bouquet, then gripped it quickly. "I am  _so_ sorry, I was expecting Chat to come pop by and I thought you were him because he said he was bringing flowers and I-"

"You weren't wrong the first time, Mari."

Marinette froze and began to just stare at him, blinking slowly. He stared back, smiling gently but there was something like a panic in his eyes, and Marinette couldn't fathom why  _he_ was panicking.

She looked at the bouquet, looked back up at him, then back down at the bouquet. She noticed a card, opening it up carefully.

_To my favorite purrrrrr-incess <3_

_Happy anniversary._

Marinette stared at the card. That's right. They had been doing this deal thing for a couple years now, and he always brought an "anniversary" gift as a sort of joke, and it was typically in the form of beautiful flowers that lasted for-freaking-ever for no inherent reason, and a silly card. This card had his beautiful script written perfectly out like a calligraphy artist had done it, along with this dorky drawing of a cat off to the side. This was definitely her Chat Noir's card, and he had definitely written it for her, so why was-

Then it clicked in her head after nearly five minutes of processing it all, and she looked up at him, her eyes going wide and her jaw dropping.

"Y-You-"

"Hey, Marinette." He smiled again and this time Marinette really did drop the bouquet, but Adrien caught it quickly, blinking at her and then frowning, looking away from her. "Was that a rejection?" He asked slowly. "Maybe I should just go, this was really stupid and now you probably hate me and-"

Marinette grabbed him by his sleeve and forcefully pulled him into the apartment, kicking the door closed behind him and shoving him against the wall. "You're right, I hate you and your stupidly pretty face." She mumbled before kissing him. It took him a second to respond, but then Marinette heard the bouquet hit the floor, felt his arms wrap around her waist, and pull her closer.

* * *

"You know, i was really scared you weren't going to accept me as my civilian self."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because." Adrien let out a groan as Marinette slid down onto him, and he blushed at the playful smirk on her face. "You've never really seemed that interested in Adrien, just Chat."

"Ha!" Marinette tilted her head back and purred as she began to roll her hips against him, letting out a happy sigh. "If having a crush on Adrien for a decade and him being the reason I started this deal with you is what you consider 'uninterested,' I'm concerned to find out what you think 'interested' looks like."

"Wait, what?" Adrien gasped as Marinette twitched her hips back to just that right spot and shifted under her, blushing darkly. Marinette let out her own low moan to voice her appreciation, dropping her head back down in front of her, wiggling her hips a little and making them both shudder.

"Damn tease." He purred playfully, grabbing her hips gently.

"Like you aren't a tease, too. Do you know how hard it is not to kiss you senseless when you start flirting with me on patrol? I don't think you do." She mumbled and rolled her hips again, making herself press into his grip, and she bit her lip to keep from moaning again.

"I-... I'm sorry, what?" Adrien blinked up at her, looking a little dazed but obviously there enough to have caught what she said, even if she hadn't caught it immediately herself.

"Shit, I said that out loud, didn't I? Not how I thought I would tell you." She giggled breathlessly, pushing herself up and then letting herself fall back down again, moaning lowly. "I thought I would have to tell you after I accidentally lost my senses on patrol one day and I got to come home with you and do just this." She giggled. 

Adrien chuckled breathlessly. "Are you telling me I've been kissing and cuddling and having sex with the very girl I was trying to get over?"

"Are you telling me that I've been kissing and cuddling and having sex and been spending late nights talking to the very boy I was trying to get over?"

Adrien barked out a laugh. "Touche, princess."

Marinette grinned and leaned down, cupping his face in her hands, staring into his eyes. "Kitty."

"Yes, milady?"

"I'm mad at you, but I'm glad it was you." She murmured, her eyes falling to his lips.

Adrien smiled and leaned up, pressing his forehead to hers. "I'm glad it was you, too, Marinette." He whispered before kissing her again, and Marinette melted against his chest.

* * *

Marinette sighed as she scrolled through the tv shows, thinking about what she should attempt to catch up on tonight, with Adrien laying next to her, his arms wrapped around her and face nuzzled into her stomach since she was sitting up, when her bedroom door opened. Adrien growled in mild protest and his face in her stomach. Marinette looked over, thankful she had the mind to put on one of her nightshirts after her episode with Adrien, since she hadn't known Alya would break back into her apartment.

"Alya?"

"Hey girl! Is he still here?" She whispered.

Marinette snorted and reached down, running her fingers through Adrien's golden locks gently. "Yeah, but he fell asleep after all the adventures were had. Apparently he's been kind of stressed out lately by work. What's up?"

"Did he tell you about that  _thing_? I saw all the flowers on the table, did he confess?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "No, because I kissed him senseless as soon as he got through the door. We haven't talked."

"Girl, I didn't know you had it that bad! Didn't even let him talk before getting straight to the hanky panky? That's kind of harsh." She giggled and walked in, noticing the lump next her, and gasped. "Awwww! Is that him?"

"Yes, Alya, it is, but you can't look at him."

"Why not?"

Marinette blushed a little and looked away. "I may have kissed him senseless because he came to my apartment with flowers without the mask?"

Alya's eyes went wide and she darted to the bed, but Marinette stuck her leg out and held Alya back by planting her foot in the other woman's stomach. "Uh-uh, you aren't learning his secret identity."

"But  _girl!_ You weren't even interested in learning! I've been wanting to know since college! Please?" 

"No."

"But-!"

"BUT! Chat Noir has convinced me to try for a relationship with Adrien, and he's going to try for a relationship with Ladybug. He agrees that we need to actually try and pursue our crushes instead of just waiting around for them to go away. So, I'm going to ask Adrien out tomorrow, and you can even videotape it if you want, and then Chat won't be in our lives anymore, and maybe you'll get your wish for LadyNoir to be a thing." She grinned. "On the condition that you don't get to see his face."

Alya stared at her with her jaw slack for a moment before huffing, standing back and crossing her arms. "Fine. Can I at least get a pic of his abs?"

"No, those are mine."

"But you just said-!"

"You hear me, Alya? Mine!" She laughed and shook her head, pushing her friend playfully. "No, he's restricted photographs. Now shoo, I have a cat to cuddle with." She grinned and Alya grimaced, sighed, then nodded and walked back out.

Adrien waited until he heard the outside apartment door close. "You are a better liar than I thought you would be, my lady."

"No, I'm a terrible liar, I more or less just imagined what would happen if this was Ladybug and you and Nathalie walked in."

"Oh god."

"Exactly. Now, help me find a movie and plot how this whole me asking you out on a date thing is going to go down tomorrow and what we're going to do if an akuma ruins it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had to rewrite this because my mouse decided to deselect the text box just as I accidentally pressed ctrl+r instead of shift+r so.  
> I'm a little mad at myself
> 
> But! I will be doing a like sequel thingy to this, eventually, when I can find the right song to give me any inspiration for it. Oh well.


	9. Over You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Living alone here in this place_   
>  _I think of you, and I'm not afraid_   
>  _Your favorite records make me feel better_   
>  _'Cause you sing along with every song_   
>  _I know you didn't mean to give them to me_

Sometimes having been a superhero is something that Marinette regretted. Often not, but there were always times...

"Look, it's Ladybug- she's back."

"Oh my god, guys, look, it's Ladybug."

"I thought she moved away after the Butterfly Incident?" "Well, it's kind of hard to stay away after that, isn't it?"

Marinette didn't mind everyone's whispering. Getting to walk about as a civilian and not having to worry about keeping an image was something she relished about everyone knowing now. 

The thing she didn't relish was when they realized where she was going.

"Hey... is she heading to the Miraculous Park?"

"She has to be. The TS Bakery is the other direction..."

"So that's why she came back."

Ever since the Butterfly Incident, Marinette moved to America to work on her fashion career. America wasn't aware of her double life as a super heroine, so they were unbiased there. She only ever came back to Paris now with one goal in mind. 

_Ladybug had barely any time to process what was happening before her phone was snatched from her hands, along with some pretty incriminating photos of her and Chat, and Ladybug was turning to grab Rena but she moved away like some mysterious force had lifted her up and dropped her off on the complete other side of the roof._

_"LADYBUG! BET YOU CAN'T CATCH ME!"_

_"RENA I SWEAR TO GOD."_

_Rena Rouge laughed in the distance as she jumped onto the next building, soon being joined by Queen Bee, who turned to run backwards for a moment, sticking her tongue out at Ladybug before turning back around to catch up with Rena._

_"WHEN I CATCH YOU TWO YOU ARE SO DEAD."_

Marinette laughed a little bitterly at the memory and stopped on the sidewalk, pulling out her headphones, plugging them up to her phone, picking out a track Nino had made for her who knows how long ago, and pressed play. Marinette let the music flow through her ears and into her body, letting it soak into her very being before she continued to walk towards her intended destination.

_Chat purred as he landed right next to Ladybug and immediately snuggled up into her side, purring deeply and grinning broadly. "Why hello there, my lady! How's my purrrr-fect princess doing?"_

_Ladybug chuckled fondly and ruffled Chat's hair, kissing his forehead. "Kitty, you literally saw me like 20 minutes ago. I'm good, just like I was 20 minutes ago."_

_"Yeah, but a lot of stuff can happen in 20 minutes, my lady. The world could end in 20 minutes for all we know, and we would probably be none the wiser. I wouldn't want you to be unhappy when the world ends. My Marinette always deserves to be happy, even when we face the inevitable."_

Marinette hummed along to the song, mouthing the words and singing them in her head. She knew every song of every playlist Nino had ever made for her and was proud of it. His songs and his playlists always made her feel happier. And the memory of Adrien's kind words always made her feel like she was floating on air.

So when she came to a park filled with flowers, for the first time in nearly a decade, the pain was almost non-existent. 

_"Carapace?"_

_"Yeah, Bugs?"_

_"What do you think about... death?"_

_"Well... that's a tough questions, Nette. What do you think about death?"_

_"... I... I don't know if I could ever stand to see you die, Nino. You're like the big brother I never had. I don't want... I don't know if I can even imagine you dying. Or Alya, or Adrien... probably not even Chloé. You guys... you mean everything to me. And I'm scared of what I've roped you all into."_

When she walked up to the proud statue of the five heroes who protected Paris, the proud bearers of the Ladybug, Black Cat, Fox, Turtle, and Bee Miraculous, she smiled instead of sobbing.

When she she looked down at the plaque and the hundreds of bouquets, she almost didn't choke.

Almost.

_Ladybug watched in horror as Chat jumped in front of the blast that was aimed at her. She watched him fall to his knees, then down onto the ground, lifeless._

_He had already been injured. Head busted open and bleeding, bruises and tears in his suit with gashes. He had told her he was fine, and she had almost believed him before. But now he couldn't tell her that he was okay. Now he wasn't breathing, and Ladybug almost couldn't breathe either._

_"No... No, no, no. Chat. Get up. Chat, please, you_ have  _to get up."_

_Ladybug dropped to the ground and picked her partner up so his head was in her lap. No breath. No movement. His bright green eyes were still wide open. Ladybug felt her heart stop._

_"No. Chat, I- Chat, please, just, I don't know, blink, please, something." Ladybug shook his body. "Chat Noir, please, I really, really need you to do something. Y-You're all I have left, I can't lose you t-too."_

_Ladybug's voice cracked and suddenly tears were rolling down her face._

_"There's no Akuma, Ladybug. There's no bringing them back this time. Give me the miraculous, and I might spare your pathetic friends."_

_Ladybug hiccuped, looking around her. He was right. There was no Akuma. And now she was all alone._

Marinette choked as she stared at plaque, staring at the date that had ruined her life.

 **Chloé "Queen Bee" Bourgeois, 30 August 2001 - 22 August 2023, died protecting Paris from the National Terrorist, Gabriel "Hawkmoth" Agreste.  
Elected by Ladybug to help Paris, now rests, having died honorably despite how bitterly she lived. Her mother, the famed Aubrey Bourgeois, and her father, former Mayor André Bourgeois, were both arrested after the police were informed by butlers and maids of frequent neglect from both parents, along with the rampant corruption of the Parisian government caused by André Bourgeois. We hope she rests easy knowing she's with the people who love her and that the people who hurt her can no longer hurt anyone else.  
****Cause of Death: Explosion**  
**Previously known as Antibug, during an Akumatization.**  
**Previously known as Queen Wasp, during an Akumatization.**

_Ladybug could only stare as the blast ripped a gaping, red hole into Queen Bee, revealing her spine, which was now broken clean away, along with layers and layers of muscle and her still pumping organs, only for them to stop two seconds later as her body got slammed against the wall, splitting the back of her head open and leaving a bloody streak as she slid down the wall to lay in a heap on the ground._

**Alya "Rena Rouge" Lahiffe (née Césaire), 17 April 2002 - 22 August 2023, died protecting Paris from the National Terrorist, Gabriel "Hawkmoth" Agreste.  
Elected by Ladybug to help Paris, now rests, having died honorably. Was once the sole runner of the online fan blog for our beloved Miraculous Ladybug, the "Ladyblog," and was known for chasing down Akumas and giving everyone the latest updates about Ladybug. Her mother and father were very proud when they learned about her identity, and we can only hope she would have been happy to know.  
****Cause of Death: Severe Head Trauma**  
**Previously known as Lady Wi-Fi, during an Akumatization.**  
**Previously known as Rena Rage, during an Akumatization.**

_The blast had blown half of her face off, and it had splattered against the side of a building, her single eye still wide open in shock as she dropped to the concrete, her eye staring right at Ladybug even as she stopped moving and breathing._

**Nino "Carapace" Lahiffe, 3 October 2001 - 22 August 2023, died protecting Paris from the National Terrorist, Gabriel "Hawkmoth" Agreste.**  
**Elected by Ladybug to help Paris, now rests, having died honorably. A beloved singer-songwriter that often worked many musical gatherings, including being a DJ at several clubs and playing music for festivals and special events. His fans will miss him and his wife, Miss Alya Lahiffe, who helped him make music and run social events as a reporter. His parents now rest in the park near him and his wife.**  
**Cause of Death: Impaled**  
**Previously known as the Bubbler, during an Akumatization.**  
**Previously known as Shell Shock, during an Akumatization.**

_The glass of the large window shattered into a million different pieces and suddenly went flying, and Ladybug had no time to react, but Carapace did, and she stood there like an idiot as a shard as big as a sword pierced his chest, right where his heart was, sliding in perfectly between his ribs. Carapace dropped the floor face first and as soon as he hit the floor, the shard pushed even deeper until it came out the other side and then some, before he fell over to lay on his side. She could still recall the smell of his blood right in front of her face._

**Adrien "Chat Noir" Agreste, 31 October 2001 - 22 August 2023, died protecting Paris from the National Terrorist, his father, Gabriel "Hawkmoth" Agreste.**  
**Chat Noir was half of the original superhero team that kept Paris from harm during their first appearance in 2015, alongside Ladybug. Adrien was a famous model for his father's brand, his father being the once famous designer Gabriel Agreste, who was later unmasked and revealed to be Hawkmoth, a National Terrorist that Adrien had been fighting for nearly a decade, unknowing it was his own father. Before he died, he was engaged to Marinette "Miraculous Ladybug" Dupain-Cheng, an up-and-coming designer who moved to the US after the Butterfly Incident to start anew.**  
**Cause of Death: Heart Failure**  
**Previously known as Chat Blanc, during an Akumatization.**

_Chat, who looked the cleanest out of all of them, had died of sudden, forced heart failure, but she wouldn't learn that until after when they did the autopsy on him._

_Ladybug hugged her beloved to her chest. There went everything. All of their plans for the future. There went their wedding, the kids they were going to have, the big house she had with all of them that she would now have to sit in when it was empty and deadly silent._

_There went her life with Adrien._

_There went her whole world, everything and everyone she had ever cared about. It was all gone. They were all gone and it was all her fault because she just couldn't protect them._

_She would never see them again. Never see their smiles again, never hear them laugh, never get to see them grow old._

_"Adrien... You can't be gone." She whispered, a tear rolling down her face and dropping onto his cheek as his suit vanished into thin air, leaving just her beloved fiance in his normal, everyday clothes, a simple citizen and celebrity once more._

_There was a deep shock there. She didn't process how emotionally bruised she was until days later, when the shock finally wore off, and that cold feeling left her and was replaced with some warm, uncomfortable depression that left that gaping hole in her chest._

_Something in the air changed, she wasn't sure if it was her, or if it was Hawkmoth, but something changed. She changed, and she was ready._

Marinette felt the tears start rolling down her face, and she let out a weak little laugh as the trickle turned into a roar, and suddenly the tear drops turned into two streams simply flowing down her face, down her neck, onto the ground and soaking the collar of her shirt.

She stared into statue-Chat's eyes, and felt the weight of the pain return. She thought she would finally be okay, but it just... she just  _couldn't_ be okay. Because seeing the person - the  _people_ she loved, memorialized in stone, with their names on a big plaque with cold words that meant practically  _nothing_ when compared to their beautiful, precious lives, it made her feel so empty and her head spun and the heat gather behind her eyes. That hot, lava-like heat that just poured down her face by the buckets, making her cold face feel like it was on fire.

It had been ten years exactly. Right down to the time. In three minutes, it would be that... time, again. That time where everything would come crashing down on her nice and properly.

No. She wouldn't let that happen. Not again, not anymore.

Marinette pulled out the jar in her bag, one that held a poisonous-looking purple butterfly, with ancient Chinese wards holding it inside, unable to escape. She had kept it with her every day as a reminder. She was getting closer.

She had tried living without them. She told herself she would try for a decade, and if she just couldn't do it, then she wouldn't hesitate.

Two minutes later. The anniversary was almost here.

She slid the earrings into place in her ears and watched as Tikki appeared before her, looking as solemn as ever, a small smile on her face.

"Hello, new Ladybug! My name is-" Tikki stopped mid sentence and blinked. 

"Marinette?"

"Hello, Tikki."

"... Marinette."

"I've come to take you up on your deal, Tikki. I just need you to break the seals." Marinette held out the bottle. "You said I can only do it once, after ten years. Well, here I am, ten years down the road, and as you can see," Marinette wiped the fresh tear track away from one of her eyes and smiled shakily, "I'm as broken as I was on day one... with some less screaming." She smiled, holding the jar up. "So. I want to change everything back."

The kwami stared at the butterfly. The very bane of their existence, and the bane of Marinette's existence, they were sure.

"Marinette. This is selfish. Selfishness has consequences"

"No. I've thought about it long and hard for the past decade. Yes, it's selfish in the sense that I want them back in my life, but I realize that I don't need the four of them to have ever been there in my life. It would be okay if I had never had that crush on Adrien, that I never had plans with him, and that Alya was never my friend or adversary. It would be okay if Nino hadn't ever been the brother I never had, it would be okay if I never had Chloé become my fashionista friend, and that she continued to be my bully. The fact that I wouldn't have to ever see their parents sad faces whenever I walked by would be enough. To see them, the parents and the friends, smile at me like they used to would be enough. To not have to see their faces in stone... to not see their death dates on a golden plaque that no one ever reads, that would be enough."

Tikki looked up at Marinette with shock in their eyes, and Marinette just gave a sad little smile.

"It would even be okay if I was never Ladybug, even though I loved being Ladybug. Because seeing them smile one last time would be enough."

"... As you wish."

The seals around the jar all snapped sharply and the akuma flew out from the jar and into the air. Marinette felt the smile on her face grow into something less sad, something that more resembled relief.

"Tikki, Spots On!"

The pink light shone throughout the park and Parisians and tourists alike all stopped to stare into the park as the light covered Marinette's body, red and black melting over her body, fitting snugly onto her.

She looked very different than she had ten years ago, looked very different than she had twenty years ago, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was the sickening butterfly that fluttered in front of her, the butterfly that had ruined her life and took the lives of the people she loved.

"No more evil-doing for you, little Akuma." She called and tossed her yo-yo up at the butterfly and watched as the wings closed in on it, and she pulled it close to her chest.

She then released the butterfly. "Bye bye, little butterfly-" She then took in a breath, and threw her yo-yo straight up into the air. 

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" She yelled, and watched as the ladybugs scattered over the city.

And she watched as time reversed itself, and put her back in her lover's arms, and she felt all the pain leave her in an instant.

She was home, and everything was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. This was inspired by a song animatic I saw on YouTube that's actually for "La Da Dee" by Cody Simpson and not for the song that I picked, but it's definitely something you should check out if you wanna ~~have your heart ripped out~~ waste a couple minutes listening to a dorky song and watching a dorky story. Thanks for reading!


	11. I Have Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Do you care, do you care?_   
>  _Why don't you care?_   
>  _I gave you all of me_   
>  _My blood, my sweat, my heart, and my tears_   
>  _Why don't you care, why don't you care?_   
>  _I was there, I was there, when no one was_   
>  _Now you're gone and I'm here_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ VERY IMPORTANT   
> DON’T NEED PEOPLE SAYING I STOLE IDEAS  
> Okay so like  
> I can’t even pretend that this chapter _wasn’t_ based on this video: https://youtu.be/cQAcY_B7RoM  
>  Because like  
> I hadn’t ever heard of the song before I saw this animatic  
> Didn’t even know it was originally by Camilla Cabello for like a month until I tried to look up the lyrics.  
> Yes, this is heavily inspired off of that, but I did add my own shit into it and changed it up a little and gave it a cute little ending _o k a y_  
>  I love you guys and I hope you enjoy the read

“Chat Noir?”

”Yes, Ladybug?”

”Is everything alright?”

“Why do you ask, m’lady?”

”You’ve just been really quiet, is all. Just wanted to know if you’re okay?”

His tail flicked absently. He didn’t need to answer her directly. She was his “best friend,” after all. She knew him and his mannerisms best, supposedly. She didn’t need a ‘yes’ or a ‘no,’ she knew just from his body language what the answer was.

“I see. C’mon, kitty.” She leaped off the building to a next, and Chat followed her, like he always did. She didn't look nervous with his eyes on her, she had gotten used to him staring, even when standing still.

 

They eventually swung themselves up onto the Eiffel Tower and came to rest on the top platform. Ladybug leaned herself against the hand railing, her arms crossing over her chest in a manner that was so natural, so fluent and typical of her, Chat could have mimicked the motion beat for beat.

"Kitty, are you okay? I know you already kind of answered, but I'm worried. Sometimes you have bad days, which is normal for a person, but you haven't even cracked a single joke, pun, whatever. Not even when I picked you up for patrol." She looked up at him with those bright, hopeful, crystal blue eyes, and Chat felt his heart stutter unevenly. It was... so unfair. He was sure she didn't ask to be as attractive as she was, but just the fact that she was told him that it was truly unfair.

"It's nothing, my lady." He could feel his voice threatening to crack or break, but he stopped talking before he could fuck it up. It was already bad that she knew he was in a bad mood just based on his silence.

"And my ass is made of chicken. What's up?"

Chat Noir sighed. "My lady, I really don't wish to talk about this." He grumbled, trying to keep from sounding too depressed, or angry.

"But if you don't talk about it you get  _pouty_ and  _stop talking to me_. And I hate it when you stop talking to me. I like talking to you." She frowned as she looked up at him with her crystalline eyes. 

 _Fuck_. She was manipulating him again. Why did she always use those damn  _eyes_ on his poor defenseless soul.

"Yeah, well, this time it's about civilian life, and you don't want to talk about that, remember?"

Ladybug paused and shifted around a little. "I... well, I never said I didn't want to, it's just... for our own safety..."

"Yeah, yeah, we can't know each other's identities in case we get akumatized and blah, blah-"

"I live in a bakery."

Chat snapped his head to look at her, his eyes going wide and his jaw snapping shut. What did she just say? She lives  _in a bakery?_ Where the hell had  _that_ come from?

Ladybug squirmed where she stood and bit her lip, suddenly looking severely uncomfortable.

"I-I live in a bakery, and, um, my crush, the boy I told you about a long time ago? I have pictures of him  _all over_ my room. It's really embarrassing. If I plan on asking him over, since he's my friend, I have to remember to take them all down before he comes over. He saw, once, and I about died inside.  I take them down when other people come over too, except my best friend." She was blushing under her mask, and Chat Noir was absolutely speechless.

"And, I, um. I-I kind of suck at physics, annnddd... I try to help a lot of people in my daily life but my help sometimes is counterproductive, and I caused three or four akumas in college alone. I still feel really bad about that. My favorite game is Ultra Mecha Strike, and I'm really good at it. My kwami like chocolate cookies and macarons as snacks, but sometimes I can convince her to eat the occasional pastry or cake or pie. I'm friends with the ladyblogger, Alya? I was friends with her  _before_ I got the miraculous, and I've never felt more conflicted in my life, you know? I really like her, and enjoy her company. She's great to talk and vent to, but I'm sort of scared that someday she'll figure me out, you know?"

"Tell me about it." Chat sighed and slipped down to stand up, looking at her. "Why now? Why tell me anything about yourself?"

"Because... I... I've always wanted to know more about you, Chaton. Really. The disconnect from who you are and what you do makes it easy to pinpoint traits about you, but not what you like or what you enjoy doing. I... can't give you my name, but you're welcome to ask anything about me..."

"What's the name of your boy crush?"

"Wh-What?!"

"Your boy crush. You've told me about him, how kind and stuff he is. You like him because of all these admirable traits. I'd just like to know his name, so I can figure out what kind of kid he is."

"H-He's not a kid, he's our age... well, he's my age, I don't know about you." She looked away.

Silence.

...

..

.

"... My lady...?"

"A-Adrien."

Chat felt his heart stop and he looked at her with wide eyes, his own face beginning to flush with color.

"I- What?"

"His first name. I-It's Adrien. I've had a crush on him since... the first day he came to college. The first day I got my miraculous. I was really mad at him because of some things, I thought he was a bad person. He... he proved me wrong." Her face got a darker shade of red as she looked away, her arms crossing over her chest.

"Oh... wow. What's..."

"No, kitty, I'm not going to tell you his last name."

"What? But you said I could ask anything except your name-!"

"Yes, but the time that he saw all my photos, it was... a little more public than just him. And he's, also... a bit of a public figure... You'll figure me out too easily." She laughed a little, putting her hand over her mouth, her eyes downcast to the ridged platform. She seemed very interested in it now.

"Okay. What's your job occupation, aside from savior of Paris?"

"I work at a small boutique. I design things that only ever get about ten copies made, but I have to do it in a similar style to the owner. I sometimes get to do my own thing. I'm currently being allowed to work on a wedding dress I designed on my own, it's going to a lovely couple from Germany."

"You're a designer?"

"Yeah... it's kind of mundane, huh? I want to eventually own my own fashion house, but that's a far off dream..."

"No, no, it isn't... mundane." He paused. "Someone... in my family... close to me, they're a fashion designer."

"O-Oh?"

"Yeah. I can't tell you their name, you'll probably recognize either name instantly, but it isn't mundane. I'm... I'm sure it's a wonderful business."

"...Chat?"

"..."

"Is that why you're upset? Your family?"

"......"

"Are they... too busy?"

"They've been 'too busy' since I was thirteen."

"Oh... Chaton..."

"That was seven years ago, Ladybug. Seven. How does someone stay 'too busy' for seven years straight? Never getting break as soon as they wake up? They would be insane by now. Tired. Drained. They remain the same."

"Is... Is this person... are they your only family?"

"Essentially."

"Essentially?"

"..."

Chat moved over and and perched himself on the railing, looking out onto Paris with lost eyes. Hurt bubbled around his pupils, pain dripped from his eyes down onto his cheeks. Ladybug felt her chest swell painfully, and not in that ‘i love them so much it hurts’ kind of way.

"Would you believe me if I told you that my family's rich?"

Confusion filled the corners of her mind but she was still mindful enough to respond. "Why, kitty, you haven't been lying to me about being an alley cat, have you?" She giggled, but he just gave a small smile, not the typical smirk he usually wore. 

"Of course not. I may have riches, my lady, but the only thing that makes an alley cat an alley cat is that they live on the streets."

Another painful  _twang_ resounded in Ladybug's chest, and she furrowed her brow at him.

"Or, I suppose, feel more at home on the streets than in a cold mausoleum of a house." 

"Kitty..."

"So the only person who ever really pays any attention to me is my... what is she? I guess she's a manager of sorts... minder, tutor, she's basically a replacement mother, I guess. But she doesn't care for me like one." He stood and began to walk along the rails.

"... Well, you asked me what I do to get by, what do you do, if anything?"

"I'm a model."

Ladybug choked a little and Chat looked at her and rose a brow at her. She shook her head and lifted one hand up, coughing for a moment before standing back up straight, smiling weakly at him.

"Modeling, eh? For your family's fashion?"

"Yeah."

Ladybug giggled and Chat tilted his head at her. She shrugged. "Maybe one day me and you will work together, and we'll recognize each other when that happens."

That got Chat to smile, brilliant and shining, and something tugged on Ladybug's heart again. This was different, but it was a familiar sensation. Where had she felt this pull before?

And why did his smile look so familiar?

* * *

Marinette hummed around the pins in her mouth as she sewed in a line of lace to the hem of her dress, the song stuck in her head was irking her a little, but she wasn't allowed to listen to music in the workplace because of a accident when someone's earbuds got sewed into a skirt. Oh well.

She heard the bell behind her ring, signifying someone had entered the shop. She had payed it no mind until someone, a customer, squealed. That's when she looked up, down the hall and into the main shop, her eyes following the customer's to the new guest, and her own eyes went wide.

Adrien, with his golden hair and bright eyes, stood there in the boutique -  _her_ boutique - and she was suddenly starstruck.

"Monsieur Agreste! W-Welcome! How can we help you today? Looking for a suit, possibly?"

Marinette quickly turned her head away and tried to go back to what she had been doing. She was at work. She couldn't gawk at a model, she had things to do. She needed to get her head straight.

"Oh, um, I'm actually looking for a person. Do you mind if I watch your designers?"

"Oh, of course not! I can assure you, we have some of the most diligent designers here in Paris, they won't mind you watching them for a bit. Come with me." Her boss led Adrien back to where she was, and he seemed to be trying to look at them, even as she spoke. "Are you trying to get in touch with your father's work, monsieur? If you are, I'm sure we can help you with the ropes of the business, if your father is too busy to help you!"

Marinette suddenly felt his eyes land on her. She had her back to him, but she knew what his gaze felt like. Always felt it when he looked at her in public, too. It usually made her shudder, but she had to keep herself from doing that. It was like he was attempting to stare eye-shaped holes into her back 

She heard him mumble a little.

"Short, dark hair, small boutique... works as a designer..." He glanced around, getting his eyes off her, much to her relief and disappointment. "Maybe ten copies..."

What kind of checklist was this? Where was he getting this, even?

"...working on a wedding dress."

That part was mostly whispered under his breath, and it took her a second to even process what he had actually said, but suddenly her hand was shaking. What? What? She was the only one here working on a wedding dress, he couldn't be looking for her, could he? But he could have just called her-!

"Madame, that dress... who's it for?" He asked. "It looks like a wedding dress, you don't regularly sell those, so I assume it's special?"

"Ah, yes! A one of a kind. Our lovely designer there makes some pretty stellar one-of-a-kinds, and this soon-to-be-wed couple from Germany specifically asked her to make them a wedding dress. Ah, I must say, I was a bit jealous, but she attracts quite a bit of attention to this shop all by herself." Her boss giggled, and Marinette felt her cheeks heat up.

"Right. Thank you. May I speak to her?"

"I will ask her, you can go over to my office and wait, okay?"

And Adrien did. He left and went into her office, and the tension sort of left her, but not really.

"Marinette?"

"Y-Yes?"

Marinette stopped what she was doing after putting in a couple more pins, taking the remaining ones out of her mouth and setting them on a tray. Her boss smiled at her and nodded to her office.

"Do you want to? You don't have to, of course, but I have a feeling that you do." 

Marinette's face flooded with a pink tinge as she looked to the door. It took a couple seconds to hype herself up, but then she was up, pulling off her work apron and hanging it up, straightening herself out. She took a deep breath, let it out, and tried to stop her shaking hands. "Right. I'll be right back." She murmured, and marched herself into the office.

Adrien was sat in the office chair, his legs criss-crossed as he stared up at the photo gallery of the workers and her boss in there. He perked up a little when the door opened and closed, and his head snapped to look at her.

"Bonjour, I-" He stopped mid-sentence as he processed her face, then looked confused. "Marinette?"

"H-Hi, Adrien." Marinette tried to cut off her own stutter as she waved a little, a shy smile on her face, her other hand going behind her. "Y-You could have just... c-called me, asked to hang out or whatever after I got off work..."

"... I didn't know you worked here. I thought you still interned at that department store."

"O-Oh, did I not tell you? I'm sorry... I got this job a couple months ago." She paused, then realized slowly  _why_ she hadn't told him. "... While you were in Milan for that photo shoot with your father. You were gone for like two weeks..."

"... Yeah." He whispered, his eyes doing a once-over of her, looking almost breathless, this strange, wonderous look in his eyes as he stared at her. He didn't  _usually_ stare at her, much less with so much interest, and it was making her squirm and blush.

"So, um... How have you been? We haven't hung out in a couple days..."

"We haven't. I've been okay, I came here looking for someone. I wasn't expecting to find you."

A giggle erupted from her before she could stop it, but she didn't try and cover it up. "Yeah... Do you want to talk after I get off work? We could go get crepes, or ice cream, if you want."

"That sounds nice, Marinette."

"It does, doesn't it?" She smiled and she watched as his chest rose sharply, like he had inhaled a little too quickly. Strange...

She turned to leave, and he suddenly stood up, causing a small ruckus. She looked at him again and tilted her head. He was acting so strange today. Was something wrong?

"I- I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, um." He closed his eyes for a brief second, then looked at her, a strange light in his eyes that sort of looked like  _hope_. "I have... a bit of a strange question for you."

"Oh?"

"It's kind of personal."

"It's okay, Adrien. You can ask anything you'd like."

"You're probably not going to like it."

"Adrien. I'm your friend. You can ask me anything."

"Do you... still have all those pictures of me, from college?"

Marinette felt her face go beat red and she was already sputtering, trying to come up with excuses, but the first one that came out of her was; "th-they aren't just of you!!! M-Me, you, Alya, N-Nino, Chloe-"

His whole face lit up. "You do still have them." He said, sounding... happy? What?

"I-I-I..."

"Marinette, don't be embarrassed." He whispered, walking over. He brushed some of her hair back, sending sparks flying through her body at just the simple little touch. His lips connected with her forehead and she found herself automatically leaning into him, her eyes falling shut, her stomach lighting up like fireworks.

"I'm glad I have someone like you who likes me."

* * *

Marinette was sort of panicking and dying on the inside. When did he find out?  _How_ did he find out? In college he just assumed she was a big fan, which she supposed wasn't wrong, per se, but he had  _never_ assumed she had a crush on him. Why now? Why did he find out  _now_ of all times? Why-

Her thoughts were cut off by a knock on her skylight and she dragged her eyes up from her lap to look at it, and Chat's green, green eyes filled her vision, and she felt her whole body relax. Her headache somehow disappeared and the ache in her shoulders faded when she sat up straight to look at him. He typically had that effect on her. Her true best friend, the one who she could complain to and be vague without him requiring details, and he never judged her, only offered well-meaning advice if she allowed it, and offered wordless gestures when she didn't want it. He... always calmed her down. She didn't really know when that started.

He gestured for her to come up, then disappeared from the window. She sat up and pushed the skylight open and crawled up onto the balcony, smiling at the cat perched up on the railing. She giggled. "Bonjour, Chaton."

"Salute, princessa."

"Oh, we're speaking in Italian now?" She giggled and walked over, leaning next to him as he grinned.

"I learned it from a game. Along with some other words, but those are a little explicit."

"Oooh, did my innocent kitty get exposed to some bad words? We should go smack the person who thought letting you listen to such atrocities would be a good idea, it's bad enough that you can curse in French."

Chat began to belt out full-on laughter at her teasing, and she grinned as she watched him. It had been a while since she had gotten him to laugh like that. She liked it when he relaxed around her.

After Chat had calmed down, they began to eagerly talk to one another like they always did when Chat was having a bad day.

After they had moved to her room, though, he would occasionally get distracted by all the pictures in her room. Almost all of her photos included a distinct head of golden blonde hair. She wasn't lying, though, a lot of the pictures she had in her room of Adrien had moved to being pictures of them and their friend group, at various places and times over the years. She found she liked them a lot better, since Adrien was genuinely smiling and not pictures that had to be sneaked or ones that were kind of blurry, or magazine clippings. These photos were of her friend, Adrien, not the model, Gabriel Agreste's son.

"What are you looking at, Chat?"

"Your friends... you guys seem really happy together."

Marinette turned in her chair to look at her corkboard, staring at all the pictures, among drawings and designs and color palettes. She smiled. "Yeah... Alya, Nino, and Adrien are great-"

"I was just referring to just you and Adrien."

Marinette tensed up a little and blushed. It was true, she had a lot of pictures of just him and her, or pictures when he had caught him off guard during their hangouts. One of her favorites was of him sipping at a milkshake she had bought him, looking off at something, so his head was slightly tilted as he sipped from the drink in front of him. She had a couple pictures of him after that, one of him as he looked up, realizing what she was doing, then one of him where he had pulled away from his drink and was yelling, his eyes bright and his lips curved into a smile, showing that he wasn't truly mad. She loved those photos.

"... Yeah." Her voice came out a little breathy, and she knew she probably sounded lovesick but this was Chat, she was okay with him knowing. "He's... a very good friend." She said softly, trying to keep her displeasure with that term out of her voice, but Chat had seemed to pick it up anyway.

"But...?"

Marinette chewed on her lip. "I... do wish... he was a bit more than... just a friend."

"You like him, princess?"

"Yeah, I have for years."

"How many years?"

"Um... three, four... six years."

"Six? You've liked him since you were thirteen, fourteen?"

"Yeah. It's kind of lame. But... what's a girl to do? I want to be close to him but I know he doesn't like me like that, so I'm... content."

"Content?"

"Yeah. Content. If he doesn't like me than like that, it's okay. I'm fine with just being his friend. As long as he's happy."

"What about your happiness, princess? Don't you want to be happy?"

Marinette smiled softly, pulling her feet up to sit criss-cross in her seat, using her hand to turn back to him. "Kitty, I am happy. Everyone in my life gives me a little bit of joy. Mama, papa, Alya, Nino, Adrien, even Chloe. You. They -  _you_ all make me happy. I don't need Adrien's love to be happy. It would be nice, I might constantly be walking on clouds if I did have that, but I don't need it." She looked away. "I have plenty of happiness to go around, so, I'm hoping, if I give it away - maybe I'll get to see him smile more.  _Really_ smile. Not that- that  _stupid_ model smile he has, that he always wears, that  _fake, fake_ smile." She sighed. "I... like it when he really smiles, when his eyes crinkle up and I can see his dimple." She put her hands on her warm cheeks. "If I give away my happiness, I'll get to see it more often."

"... Will you always want to be his friend, princess?"

"Yes, of course. What kind of question is that?"

"Will you always  _be_ his friend?"

"I- well..." She bit her lip. "I guess... his reaction to me might alter that."

* * *

Ladybug sat on the roof of the Louvre, staring out at the city as the wind swept through her hair, making her smile. Chat landed next to her, but she didn't look up at him.

"Here you are, Ladybug. I've been looking for you all over."

"Sorry, Chat. I was just trying to think."

"But it's almost one in the morning?"

"Yeah. I couldn't sleep."

Chat sat next to her, putting his arm on his knee, looking at her. It was strange to see her like this. Pulled in on herself, looking almost shy, reserved.

"... Do you want to talk about it?"

She was silent. It wasn't until he went to touch her shoulder than she spoke up, just before he rested his hand on her, making him pause.

"Chat, do you think it's worth it to sacrifice your own happiness to make sure someone else is happy?"

Chat blinked at her, pulling his hand away. "Well, I don't know my lady. What do you mean by that?"

"Should I sacrifice my own happiness to make sure someone else is happy?"

"Is this about Adrien?"

"It doesn't matter."

What she said shocked him. It didn't matter? That didn't really sound like her. That was unusually cold, unlike her to sound so...  _dejected_.

"... Well, in my personal opinion, it's sometimes worth it... in special cases. I don't know. I've never had many friends, but the small group I do have..." He trailed off, biting his lip a little, thinking back on his friends, their faces flashing through his mind. "... I would do  _anything_ to make sure they stay happy. Maybe even kill."

Suddenly, Ladybug began to giggle, and he looked over at her. She waved him off, shaking her head quickly. "No, no, don't mind me, it's just... that's such a  _cat_ like thing to say." She giggled more, laying her head on her knees. 

"My Lady, do you promise to always be my friend?" He asked softly, holding his hand out to her.

Ladybug continued to giggle, resting her hand in his, squeezing gently. "Of course, Chat. As long as you keep your killing tendencies out of it." She laughed.

Chat smiled. She was laughing, so it wasn't so bad.

He was happy as long as his lady was happy.

He was happy so long as  _Marinette_ was happy.

* * *

Months passed, and Adrien noticed something very distinct. Marinette started drifting away. It started subtly, turning down invites, saying no to hanging out, not really talking to him that much. She'd always say she was busy or that she wanted some alone time. This "alone time" often involved Alya, though.

Visiting her as Chat, she didn't display the same actions, but she was always working on some article of clothing when he visited and he was often left to his own devices, watching her or playing UMS, with her pretty quiet and only making the occasional remark.

Adrien felt a strange hole form in his heart. He kind of... felt cut off. Like Marinette was distancing herself. She didn't take any of her pictures down, but there was a growing pile of developed photos on her desk that she has yet to hang up or place somewhere in her room, and the number of them including him was few.

Even as Ladybug, she talked to him as Chat, but if she saw Adrien, she treated him as any other civilian instead of the sort of shy behavior she used to display, which he now recognized was because she liked him. She used to make sure he was safe no matter what, but now, she just sort of pushed him off out of the way, then went into fighting mode.

Did... did he do something?

* * *

"Hey Marinette!"

"Ah! H-Hey, Adrien." Marinette nearly stumbled and dropped the bolts of fabric she was carrying, closer now to the boutique, but not quite there. She looked tired, and now her face was red.

"Do you need help? Those look heavy."

"Ah..." She looked between him and the fabric in her arms warily. "They are a little heavy..."

"Then here, give me a couple."

Adrien rolled a couple of the bolts into his arms and began to walk with her. 

Silence.

Awkward, awkward silence.

Upon arriving at the boutique, he opened the door with his elbow and she gave a shaky smile. "N-Non-employees aren't allowed in right now, s-so I can take those back."

"Oh... okay?" He murmured and gently set the bolts back in her arms, watching as she struggled to balance for a moment before smiling at him again. She looked nervous. 

"Th-Thanks." Was all she said before she fled inside the boutique, using her foot to kick the door closed.

Adrien found himself standing in front of the closed door, tempted to knock, but he decided against it - she seemed busy.

* * *

A few more months passed, and suddenly it was like they were back in college. She had even started pushing Chat away. She only interacted with him if necessary, she still conversed with him without stutters and blushed a bit, but she seemed to be avoiding talking for him too long. It was starting to get frustrating, it was making the hole in his heart grow wider. He wanted to talk to her, he wanted to let her know that he liked her back, that he wanted a relationship with her, as  _more than a friend_ -

Hot tears flowed down his cheeks as he stared out the window of his room. His hands shook a little.

He was so close,  _so_ close to her, and as soon as he  _knows_ , she starts pushing him away. He hadn't even gotten to tell her that he  _did_ know. Why? Why was this happening to him now?

He turned, looking at all the Ladybug memorabilia he had, staring at it. At her. Her winning smile, her bright blue eyes, how carefree she looked. Pictures of when they were just thirteen to now, where her hair was cut short and her suit was more practical. 

He felt the tears flow with a gusto, and he really felt like breaking down, but... he couldn't.

He wiped his face off and steeled his heart. He needed to see her. Confront her. He couldn't do this anymore.

He valued her happiness, but he had worked too hard to be close to her for her to just start disregarding him again.

* * *

Tough luck for Chat. The next night when he opened his baton, he had a voicemail from her. He began to listen to it, feeling his heart drop further and further into his chest.

_"Hey, Chat. I meant to tell you this in person but you weren't answering my calls. I'm going on a trip to work on stuff, out of town. I'll be back in a week. Don't destroy the city while I'm gone. I've entrusted the Ladybug Miraculous to someone who'll take care of you for the week I'm gone, she already knows the ropes and knows to return the miraculous to Master Fu after the end of the week. See ya."_

And it was done. That was it.

He wouldn't see her for another week.

* * *

Turns out? The person she entrusted the Ladybug Miraculous to was Alya... he shouldn't have been surprised, but... the Ladybug miraculous somehow didn't suit her. Or maybe he was just biased.

He had gotten a text from Marinette in a group chat between him and their other friends that she would be going to Germany for work and she'd be back in a few days. It was a little strange. Usually she texted him one-on-one. 

He didn't answer.

* * *

 _What the fuck is going on_.

Ladybug was back, and all of the sudden she's chatting him up like a storm, like she had been holding everything back for those  _four months_ where she decided talking to him wasn't very important,  _eight_ if you count when she started pushing Adrien away.

But she still wouldn't talk to him as Adrien. In fact, she had become a little stutter-y again, like she was suddenly nervous around him again. It reminded him when he thought she didn't like him and he thought he was spooking her, where she'd stutter up a million and one things just from him saying 'hi'.

He felt like ripping out his hair.

She was sending out mixed signals to his poor brain.

Did she like him or not, did she want to be his friend anymore or not, did she want to talk to him or not.

Especially since the next night, during patrol, she was deathly silent.

This was driving him up a wall.

* * *

"Chat, you've been awfully quiet this whole battle. Is something wrong?" Ladybug yelled as she rolled out of the way from another blast of green smoke. 

Chat looked at her but also had to dodge out of the way, and instead of answering, he began to round the Akuma. Rena and Carapace we just now showing up.

Ladybug looked at him with a sort of broken expression when he didn't respond to her.

He could hear across the street as Rena hopped up next to Ladybug and tackled her out of the way of another blast. 

"Hey girl, what's up? You seem distracted."

"Chat isn't talking to me."

"What? He isn't?

"Yeah. I asked him what was up but he didn't respond."

"Wow. That's kind of cold."

"I didn't do anything, did I?"

"Um... not that I can think of, but I also don't know about your personal interactions."

"That's fair, I suppose..."

 

"Hey dude, is something up?"

"No." Chat answered Carapace pretty quickly and he only realized after it had come out of his mouth that he sounded really short. That wasn't fair to Carapace, it wasn't him he was annoyed with.

"Are you sure, dude? Ladybug seemed concerned about you."

"She should have been concerned a long time ago." He launched himself out from the building and hit his baton right between the eyes of the akuma, taking it down to the ground. He grabbed the bracelet and broke it off their wrist, then launched himself away as the Akuma fluttered out from it. A yoyo captured it right afterwards. Ladybug hopped down next to him.

"Bien j-" She stopped short when Chat hopped back up to the building he had been on and began to run, her fist still out for him. She slowly lowered her fist and let out a sigh, Rena and Carapace coming to comfort her.

* * *

"Chat, we need to talk."

"Do we now?"

Chat was perched up on a chimney, staring out at the moon as it rested against the sky, full and bright and probably the most stable thing he's been able to enjoy aside from photo shoots and his father's chilly demeanor.

"Come on, don't be like that. So what, I didn't talk to you for a while, what's wrong with-"

"Four months."

"What?"

Chat stood up and turned to her. His eyes stared into hers, which looked... scared? What was that expression?

"You started pushing me away four months ago, and it eventually escalated to you barely talking to me at all for a whole month. You didn't even bother trying that hard to tell me you were going to be leaving. Two missed calls and you give up."

"Chat, I was in a hurry, I'm sorry, but this doesn't mean you can suddenly cut me off-"

"Who do you think you are?"

Ladybug tensed up, staring at him with wide eyes, questioning and nervous. He knew that look. She wore it as Marinette a lot.

"I... what?"

"Do you think that just because I love you that I'll just brush this off?"

"W-Well... n-no..."

"You can't play with my emotions like this, Ladybug."

"I-I wasn't trying to-!"

"But you did. You can't just brush off your  _friend_ and  _the person who loves you_ and expect them to not be hurt!"

"H-Hey! You're my best friend, you know that, and you know I would never-"

"Being your  _best friend_ makes it worse!" He yelled and she squeaked and backed up a little.

He growled under his breath and put a hand over his face.

"You swore you would be there for me, annoy me to pieces about it and make me tell you about things. Even when I said it was about civilian stuff, you spilled things about yourself just to get me to talk. You can't swear to be the friend I need and then turn around and be as cold as ice. You can't play me like a fool. Why weren't you who you swore you would be?"

"Ch-Chat..."

"Four months, Ladybug! Eight if you consider how you treated me as a civilian! I was patient, I thought you were just busy with work, but that passed! You were free! You were just... _not talking_ to me for no reason!" He dug his fingers into his hair, a searing headache suddenly pushing his way to the forefront.

"W-Wait... you know who I am?"

"Why does that matter?"

"Why does it matter?... Chat, we had an agreement." She crossed her arms over her chest, her expression changing to look  like a stern mother scolding her child.

"Which one? The one where we were friends, or the one where this is a job?"

"You know what... I don't want to handle this right now."

"You didn't want to handle it four months ago, either."

"You're so pouty."

"And you broke a promise."

"At least I didn't cut you off completely."

Chat blinked at her and felt dread flood his system, staring at her as she just turned and zipped off.

What was this empty feeling in his chest? This hollow, aching gape? This was worse than before. 

It felt like someone had just ripped his heart out.

Because his lady didn't care about righting her wrong with their relationship, she didn't care at all.

* * *

Ladybug was panting as she rested on the ground. Chat was nowhere to be seen, but the rest of her friends were with her, but somehow this was difficult.

She hadn't seen Chat in a week, and no matter how many times she called him, he never picked up, even if she saw he was active. 

She looked out at the street where the Akuma was walking, freezing everyone in time, and felt her heart thrust up into her throat when they looked right at her, but then sighed with relief as Queen Bee smashed their item with her top a moment later. The akuma fluttered out, and she shot at it with her yo-yo, but the Akuma flittered out of the way, turning white for a brief moment, like it had been purified, but then was enveloped with darkness again.

"What the hell?"

"Is it, like... glitching out or something?"

The akuma fluttered away, and across the rooftop, she saw a black figure. He was clutching something in his fingers, but opened it after a moment. The cloud over the sun passed, and the light shown down on Chat's golden hair and... her lucky charm?

Why did he have her lucky charm? She had-

... given that to... Adrien.

The akuma fluttered into the charm, and a halo appeared around Chat's eyes, but it wasn't even there for a moment before he said "yes."

Smoke enveloped his body, and when it disappeared, Chat's black suit had turned pure white, like a cloud. He clutched the charm in his fingers, his purple eyes glancing up to look at the quartet before him.

"N-No... Chat..." Rena murmured next to her, and Ladybug felt her shoulders slump, and tears began to run down her face.

"A... Adrien?"

* * *

"Adrien! You need to listen to me!" Ladybug cried as she scrambled up a wall and off of it before the Cataclysm caught up to her.

"What's the point?" Came his somber reply, his purple eyes haunting as a tear ran down from them, over his mask.

"Th-This is wrong! You don't hurt people! This isn't you! You're..."

"Gentle? Kind? Selfless? Funny?"

"I-I... yes..."

She hadn't even noticed how close he had gotten until he put a hand by her head, a smirk on his face as he leaned close to her. Ladybug felt her face heat up as she stared into his eyes, her breathing beginning to pick up. 

"You only say that because you've never had me in bed, princess."

Ladybug gasped and ducked out of the way just before he slammed his hand into her face, charged with another cataclysm. She slid out from under his tall form and began to run again, only stopping after she got to an alley and she moved to hide in it. She heard him growl from behind her.

"You have better instincts than I thought, princess. Fortunate for you, not very fortunate for me."

"St-Stop calling me that!" She yelled as he tried to swipe at her from above, and she began to spring up the wall, away from him.

"Why, my lady? Do you have a problem with your tomcat calling you pet names now?"

"You're not my tomcat! This isn't you!"

Chat Blanc's menacing chuckle seemed to sound out all around her, and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise as his voice suddenly got close,  _very close_ , to her ear.

"You're starting to get it, but you know that akumas only act like exaggerated forms of themselves and their beliefs."

Ladybug shivered and turned, backing away, putting her hands over her ear.

Chat smirked, staring at her, staying in his same spot. "Chloe becomes more obsessive and rude, Alya hunts for the truth like a vigilante, Bustier forcibly imposes love and acceptance instead of just trying to teach it." He spread his arms out and smirked at her. "Whoever said Chat Blanc was any different than Chat Noir? That Chat Noir, the free superhero of Paris with no parent to keep him locked away, was any different than Adrien?"

Ladybug felt tears running down her face. Chat Blanc chuckled and walked forward, his hand charging up again. "Well, my lady? How am I different? Or will you admit that I'm just more open with my thoughts?" He chuckled.

He backed her up into a chimney, a devious gleam in his eyes, and her skin went cold, and her eyes went hot.

He lifted his hand, and she watched as he threw it at her, and then-

"Chat would never hurt me!"

She had screamed, and his hand had stopped inches from her face, the white sparks fluttering right out of the corner of her eye. She was breathing so hard. She couldn't believe he had actually stopped. 

"... What did you say?"

Ladybug sniffled as the tears started picking up heavily, flowing down her cheeks like raging rivers. "Chat- Chat would never hurt me. Adrien would never intentionally hurt  _anyone_. A-And they're the same person, and you're my kitty, aren't you? My Chat Noir?" She choked a little on his name.

He hesitated further, and he seemed to be trying to move his hand, but couldn't bring himself to.

Ladybug reached up slowly and cupped his face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry Chat. I'm sorry, A-Adrien. I pushed you away because I got scared, I thought maybe you didn't actually like me. It was a silly assumption. You came... looking for someone that day in the shop, and seemed surprised when it was me, and I took that as disappointment. It wasn't, and I was stupid for thinking that. I figured I might be happier if I started working on myself instead of entertaining you as Chat or chasing you as Adrien. I wasn't. And your reaction to me -  to me pushing you away without telling you why, that was  _valid_ , that anger and pain, they were  _valid responses_ , and I shouldn't have... I should have admitted that I was wrong, worked with you to fix it, and  _I'm sorry_." 

Chat Blanc slowly lowered his hand, and tension left his shoulders, his cataclysm leaving his hand. 

Ladybug moved closer, slowly running her fingers through his messy hair, and he leaned his head into her touch, letting a soft purr bubbling up out of his throat. 

"There's my kitty." She whispered, leaning up and lightly pressing her forehead to his, closing her eyes.

Chat closed his eyes as well, loosely wrapping his arms around her. "Princess... I... I'm sor..." He choked a little.

"Shhh, I forgive you." She whispered, moving to push her face into his neck instead. "I forgive you, Adrien. I forgive you and I love you."

Chat Blanc choked again as the akuma fled from his body as joy washed over him, his suit turning black again. He gripped her tighter, holding her close to his body. "I-I love you too, Marinette." He whispered, pushing his face into her neck as he began to sob.

 

 

“Girl, you two okay up there?”

Alya and Nino had come over after the Akuma had been purified and the cat was literally out of the bag. It was nearly two in the morning but they were all still wide awake, even though Marinette had a lapful of Adrien, who had his face in her neck and his arms wrapped around her waist, a warm blanket and funny videos to chortle at as they washed all the pain away.

”Yeah, we’re fine.” She murmured as she absently ran her fingers through Adrien’s hair, causing a purr to kick up. “Just basking in this right now.”

”I know what you mean.” Nino hummed from her chaise. “I mean, Alya and I were surprised and excited when we learned about one another. We’re still reeling from the fact that you two are even, well... you two. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for you and Adrien.”

”It’s a little surreal.” Marinette mumbled.

”Which part? The fact that you vehemently denied liking Chat Noir as a romantic interest on public television more than a couple times over the past seven years or the fact that you couldn’t say two words around Adrien but were regularly caught on tape laughing your ass off with Chat Noir?” Alya snorted.

”Both.” She murmured, moving her hand up to scratch a certain spot on Adrien’s head that she knew he liked, and his purr really picked up after than. “I mean, I’ve had a crush on him for seven years and couldn’t think or talk straight around him but I talked to him and ordered him around every single day as Ladybug...” she paused, her other hand beginning to rub Adrien’s back. “And, well, I mean, aside from you, Alya, I consider Chat my best friend, and I kind of held Adrien like he was this sort of... unattainable person.” She looked down at Adrien, and kissed his forehead, and he responded by nuzzling up to her more. “And now look at me...”

Alya laughed and Nino snorted, shaking his head at Marinette’s comment. 

She was right, it really was unbelieveable.


	12. Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Can't we just talk?_   
>  _Can't we just talk?_   
>  _Talk about where we're goin'_   
>  _Before we get lost_   
>  _Let me out first_   
>  _Can't get what we want without knowin'_   
>  _I've never felt like this before_   
>  _I apologize if I'm movin' too far_   
>  _Can't we just talk?_   
>  _Can't we just talk?_   
>  _Figure out where we're growin’_   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **disclaimer**  
> This chapter is done without ANY, and I repeat, ANY knowledge of season 3. I have not watched A SINGLE EPISODE OF IT.  
> So.  
> Yeah.  
> I’m really behind.  
> I’ve been kinda busy.  
> Anyway.  
> Hope you enjoy!

It’s funny how controlling, and loose, people can be. Some people look at the world and just say ‘meh’ at the mere idea, the simple concept of it - some people demand order, talk as if they are a god and their word is law, and lash out at the slightest faulting of that supposed “law.”

These people may not think of themselves as a god, some may, and those who may might not necessarily be wrong. We are all ‘gods’ in a way - she who commands her fate is she who shapes it, after all. At least, that’s what a lot of spiritual people theorize. It’s either you shape your own fate or your destiny was predetermined long ago - but I digress. You are a god of your own world, you determine who you respect, talk to, hang out with, what you create. And no, this does not mean your existence is perfect.

In the Christian religion, their “God” regretted the mistake he made with the world, mainly humanity, and had it all wiped out save for a few humans and the boat he commanded them to make.

In the Hellenic religion, something most identify as “Greek Mythology,” their “gods” had problems every day, including the rocky marriage of the God of Thunder and the Goddess of Fertility, the perpetual angry state the God of the Sea found himself in, and a Goddess of Grain who runs from her controlling mother, the Goddess of the Harvest, to live with her husband, the God of the Dead, and gives us winter for half of the year and beats her husband in her sheer number of cruel punishments.

“This goes for other religions, of course. Gods do not have perfect lives, and neither do you. Things go wrong, and while it does suck sometimes, she who commands her fate shapes it - making the most of it all and mending the problem is all you can do.”

Alya blinked as she finished reading, smoothing out the paper against her desk. “Wow, Mari. This is really... _surreal_. Did you ever consider a writing career?”

Marinette laughed. “Me? A writer? Fat chance. You’re good at journalism, though, Alya. I’m surprised you didn’t choose that as your major.” 

“Well...” Alya smiled. “Now that I’m getting paid to run the Ladyblog, and have that as a major experience pool, I have several  offers to write little articles for news websites. I think I’m just going to do that and get some legitimate experience and learn from experts, you know? I feel like that’s more useful than taking classes.”

Marinette just smiled at her friend. “Well, I’m glad, Alya. I suppose picking something flexible so you can continue to run the Ladyblog _is_  important...”

Not that Marinette wanted her to still be throwing herself into danger at 18 and constantly risking her life, but she also didn’t want to crush Alya’s spirit. So she kept that worry to herself.

But that didn’t stop Alya from noticing her little deflate, and she nudged Marientte with her elbow. “Hey, it’s okay, don’t be so down. I don’t even know if I’ll even get that much footage anymore, aside from like... real life bad people, since Ladybug and Chat Noir finally caught Hawkie...” she paused. “I... still can’t believe it was him.”

Marinette stiffened from the mention of Hawkmoth and she winced. She was allowed to have that reaction, she was almost sure of that, considering it was... well.

”And then there was A-... Chat.” Alya shuddered.

Marinette felt her face flushing red. 

The battle against Hawkmoth included revealing Hawkmoth’s identity to all of Paris, which would have caused an uproar all by itself, until Chat, with tears running down his face, revealed himself to be none other than Hawkmoth’s son and literally punched him in the face and broke the man’s nose on live television.

Marinette... didn’t reveal herself. Alya and Nino did- and, of course, everyone already knew who Chloé was. Marinette just couldn’t do it. She was too scared.

It was different for them. Chat Noir, part of the main duo, didn’t disappoint. He was a super model, a super HERO, and the media was just _eating up_  the angsty story of a son and father at war with each other.

Chloé was the mayor’s daughter, everyone knew she was a somewhat interesting person who had gotten better at being a _decent_  person since she became a regular fixture on the superhero team.

Alya was the Ladyblogger - people literally _freaked out_  upon meeting her _beforehand_. And her boyfriend was Carapace, and a popular DJ across Paris with the teenage and college-age people.

Marinette was just... Marinette. People in school knew her, and _some_ people knew her in the fashion and art community. She was the baker’s daughter, that was about it.

Now that she thought about it, actually, she hadn’t even seen Chat in the two weeks since it all had gone down - or Adrien, for that matter. They were the same person, but she hadn’t seen either side of the equation recently.

She hoped it wouldn’t remain that way. They really needed to talk.

 

Ladybug tossed her yo-yo up to the top of the Eiffel Tower and just let it pull her up slowly, spinning in loose circles, looking at the beauty of Paris at night. Having all this time on her hands since Hawkmoth got arrested has given her time to more thoroughly complete her college assignments, but since she was used to the time crunch, she had worked as if she could have been sent to battle any minute.

Now she had nothing to do.

So? The logical thing was to go on patrol. Not that it was really a patrol anymore, people were too wrapped up in the scandal, and having control over their emotions again, to do much wrong.

But as she lifted up to the top of the platform, and moved to balance on the railing, she had to toss her yo-yo to regain her balance, as seeing a certain black cat made her nearly fall.

The wind left her lungs, and she could have sworn she was seeing literal hearts floating around her partner of... four, five years? Something like that. Her busy thoughts were clouded by heavy mist, and she felt the area around her temples get heavy in a sort of pleasant achey way - her throat followed in suit not long after the ache settled all throughout her head, and flowed into her chest. 

But the ache in her chest was a bit heavier than the rest - partially just her lovesick hormones, she was sure, but the rest was... genuine ache. She had thought about how Chat might be feeling numerous times - it was what inspired her rant about destiny in her essay. What if her dad had been Hawkmoth? She can’t imagine her behavior towards that discovery being much different from Chat’s.

That ache, however, didn’t stop the sudden flurry in her stomach when Chat turned his head to look at her, and his eyes ( _green green green_ ) stared straight into hers. She just knew her face was red.

Once learning about him, it was like her mind wouldn’t stop seeing Adrien whenever she looked at Chat.

She looked at him, then at her hands, then back at him. “Uh.” Was all that she could get out of her suddenly very dry throat, slowly climbing down from the railing. “Um... I... sorry, didn’t... didn’t know you were up here! A-and, uh... well, er, I c-can just leave since you might need some time to yourself and stuff-“

”No, please, don’t go. Um... I really need to talk to you, m- Ladybug.” He looked down at the platform.

”O-Oh, really? Th-that’s great! ‘Cause... I was just thinking the same thing early today! Haha...” Ladybug had never felt smaller in her life. She hadn’t acted like this around Adrien in years, what the hell was wrong with her?

”You okay? You seem nervous.” Chat looked up at her and smiled a crooked little thing that made Ladybug feel weak in her knees.

But... this wasn’t the time to be acting like a lovesick girl. This was Chat. Chat Noir. Her Chaton. It was just him - it was just him before all this, and it was just him now, no matter who he was underneath that mask. Her logic argued that Chat was probably the closest she ever got to knowing the real Adrien, who was just her lovable alley cat.

It was just Chat, and Chat needed someone stable to come to, and he had chosen her, his Lady. So she steadied her stance, closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, let it out, then opened her eyes to look at him again. His green eyes bore into hers, and those mind-numbing soul seekers smiled. His gaze was so familiar and it calmed her right down.

”Sorry, Chat. I was just... I lost it for a moment, and I’m sorry.” She walked over and turned, lifting herself up to sit on the railing next to him. “Jittery Ladybug isn’t who you need right now, and I’m sorry for acting like that. What is it that you need to talk about, Chaton?”

Calling him Chat helped grind it into her head that it was just Chat and that it was okay, and that the same limits and freedoms that existed before, existed now. She reached up and lightly brushed the hair in his face away, smiling as he leaned into her hand, then pushed his head into her shoulder. She gently placed her hand on his head, running her fingers through his hair, and he snuggled into her more. Feeling him relax against her was easily the closest thing she would ever get to witnessing something angelic.

”Is something wrong, aside from the obvious?”

”No, I... can we just... can we just talk?”

”About what, Chat?”

”Us?”

Ladybug paused her petting, a bit hesitant about that topic, but then buried her fingers deeper into his hair. “Of course, Chaton. Anything you want.”

”You’re too good to me.”

”Nonsense. So what? You’re the son of the bad guy. It’s not like anyone can hold that against you, it’s not like you knew. You have been fighting the guy for half a decade, not knowing. You have every right to be spoiled.” She smiled down at him. “Anything you want, Chaton. I promise.”

She watched at Chat began to smile, and he looked up at her, then pulled away a little, grabbing her hands. “My lady... I need to know... it sounds like you’re okay with who I am, but are you really?”

”... yes, I-I am. Even if it shocked me a little... me and all of Paris, I know, but I would never judge you for who you are, Chaton, even if you were a homeless orphan.” She smiled at him. “And you... well, being you, isn’t something I care about in terms of the knowledge affecting our friendship. You’re my kitty, and nothing could change that.”

Chat gave her a dazzling smile that probably would have made her trip is he didn’t have a mask and ears.

”Thank you. I really needed to hear that.”

”Of course, Chat.”

”So... what now? We probably won’t be needed for a while... truly, anyway. Not like how we were needed with Haw... Hawkmoth around. I... I’m sor-“

”Ah!” Ladybug put a finger over his lips and frowned at him. “If you’re about to apologize for your father being Hawkmoth just because of my career interests displayed to you in Christmas past, don’t. You had no control over that and I will not accept an apology from you.”

Chat smiled against her fingers and his shoulders shook with soft laughter, and he grabbed her hand, squeezing gently. “You’re right. I apologize for trying to do that, my Lady.”

”Apology accepted.” She ruffled his hair and Chat began to purr, leaning his head into hers.

Ladybug smiled. “Hey, that crepe shop you like so much should still be open, and now that you aren’t a model for Gabriel, you don’t have to be on that stupid diet anymore, right?”

”You’re right... but how did you know I was on a diet? That’s not public knowledge.” Chat rose a brow at her as she hopped up.

”Trade secret, mon Chaton.” She hummed before falling off the rail, giggling as Chat jumped to follow.

 

One decent freak out from the employees and two crepes later, Chat and Ladybug were walking through the park, just talking. Her yo-yo beeped to alert her it was nearing midnight, but she ignored it. She didn’t have class the next day, so it wasn’t necessary to head home and get sleep just yet.

”Ladybug?”

”Yeah, Adri- Fuck, uh, Chat? Sorry.”

Chat snorted at her. “It’s okay. You looked distant, lost in the moment. I didn’t mean to catch you off guard.”

”Sorry, did I space out?”

”A little bit. Can I ask you for something?”

Ladybug stopped walking and instantly the idea of him asking who she was came to mind. It’s a question that he had asked without circumstances, with an active threat, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable that he would ask it with circumstances and no active threat.

and-

“Sure, Chat. Anything.”

”Can... I-I mean, I don’t have many friends as Adrien, and I’d... like to have you around.”

There it was.

Ladybug felt her heart seize up a little and she tried to think. Would there be any harm in him knowing who she was? Before she was afraid Hawkmoth would find out and use their families against them. He was in jail now, power and money taken from him, given to his only son, he couldn’t hurt him anyhow... most likely. But that was plenty of motivation.

”...you know what, Adrien?” She whispered, grabbing his hand and pulling him over to the park near their college, gripping his hands gently. “I think that’s a grand idea.”

”............... wait, really?” His kwami dropped the guise, the area lighting up the whole campus. Ladybug smiled at the blond boy in front of her, touching his cheek.

”Yes. Really.” 

 

The shine of pink the illuminated the park easily outmatched anything Adrien had ever seen in beauty and glory, but was quickly replaced when his vision was filled with crystal-like eyes and freckles, a smile that would knock any boy’s lights out if unprepared, and Adrien was certainly not prepared for it, nor was he prepared recognize these features for someone he actually knew.

”.... Marinette?”

A nervous laugh came from the petite girl in front of him. “Hi, Adrien. Um.” She looked away, her hand coming up to sort pf rub the back of her head. “So. H-Haven’t seen you in a couple days. Mobs been treating you alright?”

”... Oh my god.”

”Was that a good ‘oh my god’ or a bad one? Because I’ve been feeling pretty crappy with the whole Hawkmoth thing and not being able to comfort you for the past few days.”

”Oh my god, it was you. It was you the whole time.”

”Um... Adrien? Did I break you? Because that would certainly be turning the tables for once because usually you’re the one who breaks me, oh god that sounded weird, and sweet Maria I’m rambling aren’t I?”

”I’ve been in the same class as Ladybug since the first day I was allowed to go to school and I didn’t notice. _Dieu_ I’m an idiot-“

”Yeah how do you think I feel, I’ve had a crush on you since forever and thought Chat was just a flirt.”

”Wait, you have a crush on me?”

”.......... did I say that out loud? You’re actually processing my words?”

”Marinette.”

”You know what, on second thought, I actually need to go home, school, and whatever, ha _ha-_ “

”Marinette-“

”Spots On-“ Marinette panicked as she brought back up on her alter ego, but before she could zip away, Adrien grabbed her hand and she ended up dragging him with her.

When she landed, forces caught up to him without the supersuit to compensate and he ended up accidentally tossing himself into her and knocking them both over. Adrien was just barely able to catch himself on his hands, hovering over her, causing Ladybug’s face to go bright red. 

The male half of the duo opened his green eyes to look at her and began to blush as well. “Er...” He closed his eyes again, sitting up and moving off of her. She sat up and looked at him as he began to speak again. “I just... wanted to ask- would you go on a date with me?”

”Wh-what? Why? I mean, yes, I’d love to, I’ve been wanting to do that since the beginning of forever but-“

”I know we’ve technically hung out too many times to count and some of those should probably be considered dates but weren’t at the time and I just don’t want to kiss you during this absolute awkward, crazy shitstorm that’s happening right now with all the news stuff about my dad and I and while you’re still broken up about it.”

Marinette was blanking so hard she was sure she was about to astro plane, so instead she went with her instincts and gasped. “Adrien Agreste, did you just swear?” 

“.... what-“

”Perfect model boy sweared! Oh my god!” The playfulness of her own joke finally reached her voice as she moved to sit on her knees in front of him and cupped his cheeks.

”... har har.” Adrien glowered at her. “Anyway, do you-“

”Yes, Chaton.” Ladybug said softly, kissing his forehead. “I will go on a date with you. I’ll meet you on the roof of the girl’s dormitory tomorrow afternoon, in costume, and then we can find a nice quiet place in town where you won’t get mobbed.”

”... I’d like that.”

”Good. You can kiss me then.” She smiled, brushing his hair back before standing up. She blew him a kiss with a smile. “Good night, Chaton.” She murmured, zipping away on her yo-yo.

”.... good night, my lady.”


End file.
